LAST week was ‘deadline day’ for the clean-up of a coastal amenity that looks like a boat graveyard.
As part of an anti-litter initiative funded by the Department of Environment, Cork County Council placed red, orange, and yellow stickers – each with different instructions – on boats that have been left on a narrow strip of land, known as The League at Raheen, just outside of Union Hall.
Owners of boats with yellow stickers will be allowed to leave them at Raheen, provided ownership is registered with the harbour master.
However, owners of vessels with red or orange labels have been advised that they pose a risk to public safety, or are likely to damage the environment.
These owners have been told to safely remove these boats, or the Council will do it for them.
Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) described the anti-litter initiative as ‘timely because The League had become a dumping ground for years.
‘People were abandoning condemned boats – stuff that wasn’t fit for the sea – in an area that should be preserved as an attractive amenity for all the community,’ he said.
Cllr Carroll called on boat owners – not just those in Union Hall but throughout West Cork – to act responsibly.
‘No one has the right to abandon boats wherever they want,’ said the Fianna Fáil councillor, who also highlighted the need for ‘more custodians of our coastline, and greater powers for our harbour masters’.
