TWO Southside councillors have submitted a motion to South Dublin County Council calling for a clean-up operation of ‘cash for cars’ and ‘cash for gold’ posters before the end of the year.
A motion to seek the council’s environment department to make a concerted effort to remove existing bill postings of this nature in the 2016 calendar year was submitted recently by Fianna Fail Cllrs Paul Foley (FF) and Lucan-based Ed O’Brien.
“There are hundreds of these posters in South Dublin,” Cllr Foley, a councillor from Templeogue-Terenure, said.
“It feels like there isn’t a junction in the county without them. They are littered on every directional sign and every one of them has a mobile number on them.
“Illegal flyering and bill posting has become a big problem for residents and rate payers across urban South Dublin.
“I have had constituents complaining to me every week without fail about this practice, which essentially amounts to vandalism for profit.”
According to Cllr Foley, legal action has already been taken against an individual found to have been behind some of the posters.
“The council has been working in conjunction with the gardaí on the matter,” he added.
“We’ve had one perpetrator prosecuted so far and a report has been sent on to the council.”
Cllr Foley said his motion to get the council to take the remainder of posters down would be successful.
“As soon as the posters were taken down following the prosecution other people were deterred from putting more up and it has stopped,” he added.
The cash fine imposed on those convicted of littering is €3,000 and those found guilty could also face a custodial sentence of six months.
According to Cllr Foley, the council was “very happy with the motion”.
Funds have been made available for the graffiti department to begin a clean-up operation to substantially reduce the remainder of posters by the end of the year.
A spokeswoman for South Dublin County Council added: “While it is not possible at this point in time to provide detail on the quantity of ‘sticker’ type postering that remains, or the precise locations of these posters, I can confirm that existing /historical signage is primarily affixed to traffic signs at major junctions across the county.
“The council is proposing a collaborative approach to developing a poster removal project.”
REPORT: Andrew Ralph