FURTHER incidents of illegal dumping have taken place at Spring Lane in recent days in the latest in a series of anti-social incidents.

Rubbish was strewn across the area despite a major clean-up operation taking place at Ellis’s Yard this year costing almost €100,000.

Dumping, animal cruelty, and intimidation have left the people of Ballyvolane “living on their nerves”, according to local resident Noreen Murphy.

Ms Murphy, who recently ran in the local elections and gathered 1,079 votes, before being eliminated on the eighth count, said that people are terrified and that if they speak out they are accused of racism against Travellers.

The local woman said that aside from the incessant dumping around the Spring Lane halting site and adjacent Ellis’s Yard, there have also been a number of serious animal cruelty and intimidation incidents in the area of late.

“People are afraid and living on their nerves,” Ms Murphy said.

“There was a woman walking in Dublin Hill with her dog and a group of people set their dogs on them and killed the dog.

“Another man saw two horses being killed over his hedge.”

The smells from dumping and burning of waste are ongoing problems.

“You can’t hang out your washing; you can’t open a window,” Noreen said. “Things are that bad.”

Ms Murphy said that the people in Ballyvolane will soon have no option but to sell their houses and leave, because it is dangerous to live there.

“Between the dumping, intimidation and lack of policing, it has become a very dangerous place,” Noreen said.

Responding to Cork City Council’s draft plans to build houses for Travellers in Ellis’s Yard, Ms Murphy said there was a danger of creating ghettos and of “pushing people to the edge of society”.

“Ghettos for Travellers are not the answer. Things are out of control. People are very upset.”