CARLOW’S reputation as a ‘clean county’ was dealt two knockout blows this week following the closure of four bring centres in the county and a bruising fall to 43rd place in the IBAL litter league.
Figures released yesterday revealed that Carlow town has crashed well down the IBAL litter league, languishing in a disappointing 43rd place among the 53 towns surveyed.
This pathetic placing comes just 12 months after the town was awarded the title of ‘Cleanest Town in Ireland’ for 2012 and given the much coveted litter-free status.
Meanwhile, county manager Tom Barry this week announced that four bring centres in the county would have to close because of a massive €2.2 million reduction in the council’s budget.
The street cleaning budget for the county has also been reduced by almost €50,000.
Bring centres at Kernanstown and Green Road in Carlow town, along with similar facilities in Tullow and Bagenalstown, have been axed as part of a major cost-cutting exercise.
A spokesperson for Carlow Tidy Towns also blamed council cutbacks for Carlow’s poor showing in the IBAL litter league.
“Cutbacks have had a massive eff ect on the clean-up of the town ... the problem is when council workers retire, they are not replaced and this is having an effect on the town,” he said.