Blot on the landscape

A silver lining to the pandemic that had most of the country sequestered at home was fine weather. As the the country basked in warm summer sun many people got out into the fresh air and this was very apparent at the many beauty spots across the county.

One such, Annagh Lake, suffered as a result of the number of people who used the facility. Many of the visitors were negligent in taking their rubbish away with them.

One Anglo Celt reader, who did not wish to be named, contacted us about the matter: “The first time myself, my husband and our daughter went down to the lake was the Bank Holiday weekend. There's a lovely sandy area as you go into the lake. There were load of kids, playing with buckets and spades, and people in and out of the lake. The two bins were overflowing at that point and it continued to get worse over the weekend.”

Cavan County Council was limited with the number of staff available to maintain the public areas around the county, but our reader felt that something should have been done about the most basic of facilities at the lake: “We have a four year old child, so we had to use the toilets. We couldn't use either of the toilets, because they were in a disgusting condition. That was three weeks ago. We went back there last weekend and the bins were still overflowing and the toilets where still a mess.”

The concerned member of the public acknowledged that this is not a specific problem: “I know it is not a problem confined to Cavan. A Facebook a friend put up a post from Ballinrobe in Mayo about the exact same issue; litter, dog poo, lifebuoys damaged. It is not unique ot Annagh Lake.”

She attributed one feature of the problem to careless pet owners: “Down on the sanded area there is dog poo everywhere, and I mean everywhere,” she told the Celt, “it would be impossible for a child to play there now. It would be really unhealthy. There is a signpost that says no dogs and that has been defaced. If people are walking in and out of the water they can't but stand in dog poo there is so much of it.”

Public urged to be more responsible

In a statement to The Anglo-Celt Cavan County council urged the public to be more responsible when using public amenities: “This site is being cleaned by council crews this week. The ongoing maintenance of Annagh Lake will be the subject of a review, particularly in relation to the provision of refuse bins.

"Unfortunately, bins located at public amenities can be misused and filled with domestic waste, causing overflow issues. Cavan County Council would ask members of the public to always bring rubbish home when enjoying Cavan's public amenities in order to preserve their beauty for enjoyment by all.”