Connacht Tribune
County Council hit with clean-up bill for illegal dump
Hundreds of tons of illegally dumped waste on commonage outside Tuam have been cleaned up – at enormous expense to Galway County Council.
This is to pave the way for the installation of a number of covert CCTV cameras in the area which has been blighted by illegal dumping for years.
Council workers last week gathered plastics, bottles, cardboard (most of which could have been recycled) along with a huge about of baby’s nappies that have been strewn on fields in the Cloonthue area outside Tuam.
Last week week, officials attached to the Environment Section of Galway County Council along with workers and those involved in Community Employment Schemes began the massive clean-up in Tuam.
The illegal dumping has mainly occurred on agricultural lands on the outskirts of the town and in an area which is also sparsely trafficked. This provides ample opportunities for householders to illegally dump their waste.
In the past, Galway County Council have spent tens of thousands of euros in clean-up operations in and around Tuam as a direct result of illegal dumping.
Cllr Pete Roche from Abbeyknockmoy, where illegal dumping has also been a major problem, said that he was delighted that Galway County Council were getting serious about the issue.
“What we are witnessing here in Tuam is absolutely disgusting. Imagine the mindset involved in driving out here, parking up and then taking bags of rubbish and simply dumping them over a wall or a fence. It is just hard to believe that people are capable of this,” he said.
The Fine Gael councillor recently highlighted the problem of illegal dumping on bogs in Abbeyknockmoy, where massive clean-up operations were required, and he has been successful in securing barriers and CCTV cameras which he believes will go a long way towards resolving the problem.
Illegal dumping has been taking place in this part of Tuam for many years and, in the past, required Galway County Council to carry out several clean-up initiatives at huge expense to the cash-strapped local authority.
Such is the severity of the problem in Tuam at the moment that a machine on tracks was deemed necessary to carry out the removal of the rubbish from the lands in question.
“I have never seen anything like this . . . and, believe me, I have come across a lot of illegal dumping in my time. It is bad beyond belief and hopefully this is the last clean-up operation that will have to be carried out at this particular location.
“What is even more annoying is that the vast majority of the rubbish being collected could have been recycled at a minimal cost. Those who are responsible for this should be ashamed of themselves,” Cllr Roche added.
As the workers went about the clean-up of the lands that were seriously littered, even they were shocked by the volume of children’s nappies that they discovered. Council officials at the scene admitted that it would cost several thousands of euros to get rid of the rubbish.
The Council also had to carry out a major clean-up on Gilmartin Road which cost in the region of €40,000. This estate, which was mainly occupied by Travellers, is due for a total revamp with the vast majority of residents having been relocated.
The €8 million project is expected to begin over the coming weeks and will be completed over the next couple of years.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
