Cork County Council urged to 'get tough' on rogue hauliers after debris spills

Cork County Council officials have promised to get tough with rogue hauliers who are continuously letting debris and wet cement fall out of trucks, particularly in the Cobh and Carrigtwohill areas.

Fianna Fáil councillor Dominic Finn asked council officials attending a meeting of Cobh Municipal District Council to investigate and “implement stronger enforcement measures”, including “the maximum penalties available under existing legislation”, against rogue operators of cement and concrete trucks found to be spilling concrete or associated products on the public roads leading into Cobh.

He said it is costing the local authority a great deal of money to clean up roads after these spills, while cars are also being damaged.

“If we don’t do something about this quickly it will just keep going on and on and on,” Mr Finn said.

Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen said cement spills have become “a huge issue”, especially in hilly areas of the town.

“I followed a truck recently and saw it. It is absolutely terrible. Some companies are repeat offenders. I rang a developer and told that person to clean it. We may have to do some kind of campaign (to stop it happening),” Mr Rasmussen said.

Fine Gael councillor Sinead Sheppard said constituents are regularly videoing such spills and putting them online and informing local councillors about them.

Get really tough

“We have to get really tough on this. Our outdoor staff have enough to be doing, especially when these contractors are making huge money."

“They need their knuckles rapped,” Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said.

Council officials said that, under Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, it is a strict statutory offence to allow any substance falling from a vehicle to remain on a public road where it creates a safety hazard or interferes with road maintenance.

Municipal district officer Páraig Lynch said the council will “communicate directly” with all local concrete batching plants to formally notify them that any future spillages traced back to their facilities or contracted hauliers “will result in immediate enforcement action”.

Meanwhile, Mr Barry said that a lot of other debris is being spilled by trucks as they come around the Barryscourt roundabout in Carrigtwohill.

He maintained that it is happening two to three times a week, and in one case a piece of rock fell off a truck onto a car.

“If we cracked down on them it would make their life very uncomfortable."

Mr Lynch said the council had noted the issue, and contact would be made with the operators of the local quarries regarding debris falling from their trucks, reminding them of their obligations to secure their loads and to ensure that the roundabout and surrounding road network are kept clear of such material.