Irresponsible camper van owners dumping human excrement in West Cork, local councillor claims

Irresponsible camper van owners are dumping human excrement in scenic areas of West Cork, according to a local councillor.

The issue was raised by Bantry-based Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins at the recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District.

Mr Collins said that better facilities and stricter regulations are needed to manage the increasing numbers of camper vans visiting West Cork during the summer months.

Mr Collins said: “Ninety percent of them are well behaved and give a great economic boost to the area but there are issues. In Adrigole, for example, there are a number of camper vans pulling up there every night. We should have signage up saying no overnight camping.

“I have been told by local residents that some of them are leaving their excrement thrown into the fields. They are leaving bags of rubbish here and there and it’s just very unsightly. We need to put up signs to deter them.”

Schull-based Fine Gael councillor Caroline Cronin said that there were similar issues with camper vans in her area.

“We have one particular camper van parked up and it’s not even on the road,” she said.

“They are abandoning it during the week and then coming down at weekends. There are no facilities there for it and it is an issue.

“It’s great to see camper vans coming, but they have to be parked properly and not just left up on a bank somewhere.”

Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington agreed: “I had a motion about this last year and I fully agree. We need signs on a number of piers and other locations. It is a massive issue and it’s becoming bigger. Anything we can do to deter that would be great, they are only a small minority but they give a bad name to all the other camper van users.”

Executive officer Noreen O’Mahony said that Cork County Council was actively looking at sites for more serviced motorhome parks in West Cork and the tourism unit was currently drafting a motorhome policy for the county to address the various issues.

• This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.