A Castlebar man will have to pay over €1,300 in fines and costs after he was found guilty of dumping household waste outside the town.
Owen McDonagh of 27, Castlegrove, Castlebar pleaded guilty to charges after letters and ESB bills in his and his wife’s name were found among over 30 bags of rubbish dumped at Sion Hill, Castlebar.
Ward McEllin, prosecuting for Mayo County Council, said this was an example of the high volume of fly-tipping taking place in Mayo at present and that the authority were making every effort to get people to sign up to bins.
Gary Mulchrone, solicitor for McDonagh, said his client pleaded guilty but added that it was a place that had been used as a dumping spot and he had put his rubbish on top of existing rubbish. He only was responsible for three of the rubbish bags there, Mr Mulchrone added.
He said that McDonagh apologised for his behaviour and was willing to undertake to never do it again.
Judge Denis McLoughlin convicted and fined McDonagh €350 for the charges before the court and ordered him to pay the €249.16 clean-up costs and the Council’s other costs of €750.
Charges against his wife, Ann McDonagh, were struck out when Owen McDonagh took responsibility for all the littering.
