KEY ENTRY routes for tourists in Ireland are blighted with litter, the latest survey for Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) has found.
The areas worst affected included the airport road and the M1 from the Port Tunnel in Dublin and the N25 Rosslare and N20 Limerick approach roads into Cork city.
An Taisce, which monitors litter levels for IBAL, described the airport road in Dublin as an “appalling sight” for any tourist arriving in Ireland.
“It was characterised by street cones lying in the grass verge, white plastic wrapping in the hedge and vast amounts of casual litter trapped in the shrubbery,” An Taisce said.
And visitors taking the M1 from the Dublin Port Tunnel are greeted with “an eye-sore”.
“There was a distinct lack of cleaning along this route as evidenced by the array of debris, not just casual litter,” the environmental watchdogs said.
Cork did not fair any better, according to the findings.
Routes in and out of Cork city were litter black spots. There were serious litter problems in particular on the N25 into the city.
“This route was in a shocking state, an array of all sorts of discarded rubble,” An Taisce found.
Visitors who travelled to Ireland via Rosslare harbour and Dún Laoghaire harbour faired much better. Rosslare harbour was described as an excellent site while the terminal at Dún Laoghaire harbour was “immaculate”.
Commenting on the survey, chairman of IBAL, Dr Tom Cavanagh, highlighted the importance of first impressions.He said the routes are the responsibility of the National Roads Authority, which engages local authorities to keep the routes clean.
