€7.5k spent by city council a year on cleaning up after illegal bonfires

Cork City Council spends €7,500 a year on cleaning up after illegal bonfires, with a local councillor saying it can take up to eight or nine months for green spaces to grow back.

A number of “nonfire” events take place across the city, aimed at families looking to mark St John’s Eve.

However, illegal bonfires still occur.

Fianna Fáil councillor for the city’s North West ward Tony Fitzgerald asked for a report on the number of green spaces destroyed by illegal bonfires on “nonfire night” for the last four years.

He also sought details on the costs involved and proposed more preventative measures for 2025.

The director of services’ report stated that there were approximately 37 illegal bonfires across the city around June 23 of varying scale — “most very modest”.

More than half of these were in the North West ward of the city, where there were 19 illegal bonfires.

There were also 10 in the North East ward, five in the South East, and four in the South West.

Annual clean-up costs for these bonfires are €7,500 approximately, meaning around €30,000 has been spent over the last four years, but the council added that this is a considerable reduction on the amount of fires 10 years ago — when more than 80 large fires would have been lit.

They said: “The council is willing to support, where possible, any request by a local resident’s group to work with them to help reduce the number of bonfires further.”

Mr Fitzgerald told The Echo: “My objective is that money instead be spent on flower beds in these spots, to notify those who intend to destroy green areas that this is totally unacceptable to the wider community, to ensure there’s no danger to life and to address the issue of illegal dumping that goes with it.

“I acknowledge the great work put into these alternative events.

“This is something I have been promoting down through the years as have my colleagues.”

Mr Fitzgerald added at last night’s council meeting that he suspects the figure is higher when taking into account the costs of the fire service.

He added: “I’ve seen some of these sites in my own ward in the aftermath, the grass still hasn’t come back.

“It takes eight to nine months, then all of a sudden fires happen again.

“My neighbourhood in Ardcullen actually planted trees and made sure there was no fire there the next year.

“The €7,500 would be much more wisely spent on a plan like this,” Mr Fitzgerald said.