Blessington needs more resources from Council says de Burca

Following her participation in a recent an Taisce Spring Clean Up in Blessington in West Wicklow, Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca has called for greater resources to be provided by Wicklow County Council to the town of Blessington for the general maintenance of the town.

"In one short afternoon, a handful of local residents collected over 30 bags of rubbish that was left lying around the town" says de Burca. "Areas that were particularly bad included Red Lane, the Kilbride Road and the Town Square".

De Burca claims that the green spaces in the town square were littered with beer cans and plastic bottles. "One has to ask when this area was last cleaned" she says. "What we found during the clean up was absolutely disgusting".

The Green councillor also claims that cigarette butts dropped in the areas outside of pubs on the main street of Blessington also "take from the overall image of the town". She claims that while Wicklow County Council does provide a staff member to carry out a clean up of the main street on a regular basis, these works tend to be rather "superficial". She has also complained of the levels of dust and dirt in the town due to the number of trucks and lorries passing through, and has suggested that the centre of the town should be "hosed down" on a regular basis to remove the thick layer of dust that settles over it .

"Blessington is about to undergo major development over the next five to ten years" says de Burca. "It will become a major urban centre in County Wicklow, yet it is seriously under-resourced by Wicklow County Council, particularly in terms of general maintenance of the town . It is not acceptable that new residents moving to the town will have to tolerate unacceptable levels of litter and dust".

De Burca claims that local Blessington residents are very willing to work with Wicklow County Council to improve and upgrade the overall appearance of the town. "However, they cannot do this on their own" says de Burca. "I intend raising this issue at the next meeting of Wicklow County Council and hope that I get the support of the local councillors from West Wicklow in seeking greater resources from the council for maintenance and clean up of the town"

For further information please contact:
Deirdre de Burca on 086-806 1450; email: deburca@wicklowgreens.org