Emergency services access point is blocked by dumped asbestos
By Mary Dennehy
AN EMERGENCY services access point to a popular walking destination in the Dublin Mountains was last week blocked not only by motorists mindlessly parking their cars in front of it but by a large pile of illegally dumped asbestos.
The car park is the access point to Seefingan Mountain, which, a busy spot for walkers of all levels and families, is home to a diverse ecosystem of plants, animals and birds.
However, despite the area’s environmental sensitivities and the number of walkers visiting, a pile of asbestos roofing was illegally dumped in the scenic area last week, and in front of the access point for emergency services – putting people’s lives at risk in the event of an incident.
A local member of the emergency services was among those who spotted the dumped waste told The Echo: “There’s a number of issues here, the issue of illegal dumping, especially of something like asbestos, and then you have the rubbish been dumped in front of the access point for emergency services… and there’s cars blocking the point as well.
“A lot of families would have been up the mountains with their kids over the Christmas and a pile of asbestos is not good to see.
“Also, anybody who may have been hillwalking and had a heart attack would have been put at risk.
“It’s all about timing and we would have had a hard time trying to get to someone.
“Firstly, there were cars parked at the access point but [if we got these moved] we wouldn’t have been able to move the asbestos out of the way.”
He added: “As a member of the emergency services myself it is vital for easy access to these gateways with many hill walkers up the Dublin Mountains.
“Whoever dumped this waste was not thinking, they didn’t think of any consequences at all.
“The council should be monitoring the parking at the gate and the illegal dumping, hidden cameras could work and might help to deter [this type of behaviour].”
When contacted by The Echo, Mary Maguire of South Dublin County Council’s Environment, Water and Climate Change said: “I can confirm that the council has arranged for the removal, by authorised contractor, of the asbestos which was recently reported dumped.
“Seefingan Mountain straddles two counties, the summit of the mountain is located within Wicklow County while the carpark is located within South Dublin County Council’s boundary.”
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