Substantial number of submissions made over proposed Athy CCTV 

KILDARE County Council received over 50 submissions on potentially installing CCTV cameras at Edmund Rice Square, Athy, in a bid to tackle ongoing problems with illegal dumping in the area.

For the last couple of months, Athy has experienced a huge dumping problem in the square which has been called “absolutely diabolical” by cllr Aoife Breslin in the past, who called for the installation of CCTV back in January of this year.

Since the problem began, people have been discarding cardboard boxes, plastic bags and even window frames. There has also been a rat problem developing in the bush behind the bins as a result of the dumping.

The council stated the use of cameras is being considered as part of efforts to deter and address waste being left unlawfully at the site.

At the most recent sitting of Athy Municipal District, cllr Aoife Breslin praised Kildare County Council’s consideration for CCTV and hoped that the public consultation webpage might “alert those doing the dumping". 

Public consultation for the installation of CCTV opened up on Monday, September 15, and locals had the chance to share their thoughts on the matter.

The consultation period closed on Friday 26 September with 52 submissions.

Cllr Breslin welcomed the introduction of CCTV in the area and called the dumping problem “horrific”. 

The council confirmed that once they go through the entries from the public consultation portal, CCTV could be installed at the square in a matter of weeks.