Scurlogstown Mill targeted by illegal dumpers

This is the ugly truth of illegal dumping on our doorsteps.
On the outskirts of one of Meath's historic towns - Trim - the criminal dumpers have put their mark on a local beauty spot just metres from the town's waterworks. They have come at night or during the day and left a trail of destruction behind them. Here we have the detritus of modern life - household refuse, used napkins, abandoned washing machines and fridges, food and drink containers, beds duvets, bicycles, children's buggies.

The scene is Scurlogstown Mill, part of Meath's industrial heritage, celebrated in the Scurlogstown Olympiad Festival by a committee led by Michael Regan in the late 1960s. It lies silent and derelict now and its entrance is overgrown by thick brambles. Refuse is piled high around its perimeter and there are signs that a fire was set among the rubbish, possibly to cover up the dumpers' tracks. 

The site is in a cul de sac off the Rock Road and last week, former Trim town councillor and environmental campaigner Phil Cantwell alerted Meath County Council to the illegal dump. He asked the Meath Chronicle to highlight people's lack of civic spirit and called for action by the local community to bring a halt to illegal dumping throughout the county.

"When you stand here and look at this, you just wonder what type of people would do this. Do they think nothing of their town and their county? I'm just sick when I look at this. It's an appalling state of affairs and we all haveto look ourselves to see what's happening around us. I really wonder whether the schools are getting the message across to our young people that our countryside is one of our greatest assets and must be protected at all costs", he said.

Don't miss Tuesday's paper when we visit another major dump site with Meath County Council litter wardens on the search for clues to the identites of those responsible.