Sponsor apologises to 'untidy' towns

The Tidy Towns sponsor Supervalu has apologised to 130 places that were entered in the competition without their knowledge.

Supervalu has admitted it should never have published the results for communities that were not consulted about their inclusion in the competition.

The decision has provoked fury in many communities that received some of the lowest marks in the country.

Joe Shannon, a native of Cloonlogh in Co Sligo, said Supervalu had "tarnished" and done a "serious injustice" to communities like his. Cloonlogh received just 183 marks out of a possible 400. Cloonlogh, along with two other Co Sligo locations, Culfadda and Mullaghroe, said they did not know they were being entered. Natives of Mullaghroe, which received the joint lowest mark in the country, has said it is not even a village. Mr Shannon described Mullaghroe as a "bend in the road with a school".

"You [ Supervalu] have labelled them as some of the dirtiest places in Ireland," Mr Shannon told RTÉ Radio One's Liveline programme yesterday.

Gladys Anderson, from Derrylane in Co Cavan, said they should not have been entered in the competition. "We're not a town or a village, we're just a townland," she said. Derrylane had the lowest mark in Co Cavan.

Kevin McBride, from Kilcurry, which received the lowest mark in Co Louth, said Kilcurry was a cluster of houses around a crossroads and it was unfair to enter it as roadworks were being carried out in the village.

Edel Clancy, the commercial director of Supervalu, said the intention had been to reflect the changing nature of communities in Ireland with a view to encouraging them to take part in the competition next year.

"It was our plan to identify communities, see how they wanted to take these things forward. We do accept that we made a mistake here. We do accept that people feel hurt about what has happened. We do apologise unreservedly for that," she told Liveline.

The Tidy Towns is overseen by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. A spokesman said that the decision to enter the 130 locations was made by Supervalu alone and that it had been a mistake.