A local councillor reports that irresponsible camper van owners are dumping human waste in scenic areas of West Cork.
Bantry-based Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins raised the issue at a recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork municipal district.
Mr. Collins stated that more facilities and stricter rules are needed to manage the rising number of camper vans visiting West Cork during the summer.
Mr. Collins said: “90% of them are well-behaved and give a great economic boost to the area, but there are issues.
“I have been told by local residents that some of them are leaving their excrement thrown into the fields. They are leaving bags of rubbish here, and there and it’s just very unsightly.
“We need to put up signs to deter them,” he added.
Schull-based Fine Gael councillor Caroline Crowley reported similar camper van issues in her area.
“We have one particular camper van parked up and it’s not even on the road,” she said.
“It’s great to see camper vans coming, but they have to be parked properly and not just left up on a bank somewhere.”
Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington agreed, stating: “I had a motion about this last year and I fully agree.
“We need signs on a number of piers and other locations. It is a massive issue and it’s becoming bigger. Anything we can do to deter that would be great, they are only a small minority but they give a bad name to all the other camper van users.”
Executive officer Noreen O’Mahony said that Cork County Council was actively looking at sites for more serviced motorhome parks in West Cork, and the tourism unit was currently drafting a motorhome policy for the county to address the various issues.
- This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
