Dismay as dumping defiles historic landmark

Castlesaunderson has been targeted in the past by fly-tippers

There is shock and anger after a disgraceful act of illegal dumping at one of the region’s most treasured heritage sites.

Piles of broken furniture, bulging bags of household waste, and discarded debris were found strewn at a site within the grounds of Castlesaunderson near Belturbet.

The discovery was over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, photos of which shared have been shared on the Belturbet Inside social media page

This is however far from an isolated incident. The historic estate- jointly owned by Cavan County Council and Scouting Ireland, with its forested lands managed by Coillte- has long been plagued by fly-tipping.

Dumping, particularly on more secluded forest paths, resulted in the installation of mobile CCTV cameras in 2012.

The financial toll is staggering. Illegal dumping and litter management drained over €1.5 million from Cavan County Council coffers in 2024 alone- a sharp rise from €1.28 million in 2021. Of that, nearly €700,000 was spent purely on litter management, with 42.38 tonnes removed across identified sites, compared to 17.14 tonnes in 2023.

In neighbouring Monaghan, the situation is just as alarming.

The dumping of toxic diesel sludge dumping already cost taxpayers over €100,000 in 2025.

Clean-up operations for large-scale waste dumping- including tyres and hazardous materials- continue to push local resources to the brink. In one shocking case, the removal 120 illegally dumped tyres from the N2 cost an estimated €1,400.

Both Cavan County Council and Coillte have been contacted for comment regarding the latest dumping scandal.

See next week's newspaper for full report.