By Conor Sharkey
A Strabane community group has called for a multi-agency approach in tackling what has become arguably the District's worst illegal dumping hotspot.
For several years now, residents at 'The Back Row' area of the Head of the Town have been forced to live with unsightly piles of rubbish dumped almost on their doorsteps.
In recent months, however, the problem has escalated dramatically, with sofas, mattresses, fridges and hoovers all being tipped in and around an electricity sub-station in the dead of night.
Now residents fear that the dumping ground will become more than a health hazard, but a breeding ground for disease carrying vermin.
Speaking to the Strabane Chronicle on Tuesday, head of Fountain Street Community Centre Teresa Stewart said if action isn't taken by the various authorities shortly, it is only a matter of time before a young child is badly hurt.
"There are a lot of dangerous materials dumped here at present and we are worried about the situation. There is a chest freezer and if that fell on a small child, who knows what would happen. On top of that, residents here are concerned that the rubbish will bring rats.
"So I will be speaking to NIE who own some of the land here and I will also be contacting Strabane District Council. A lot of the stuff being dumped is recyleable and I would be keen to arrange a meeting between the Council and residents on the recycling issue.
"Also, if anyone has bulky waste they wish to get rid of, instead of dumping it, they should contact us at Fountain Street and we will speak to the council about having it collected.
"The dumping is getting out of hand and it's getting to the stage where it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident," Mrs Stewart said.
Responding to resident's concerns, Northern Ireland Electricity vowed to clear the rubbish but agreed that only a joint approach would end the problem once and for all.
NIE Customer Relations Manager Fiona McClintock said: "NIE cleared rubbish from the area around essential electricity equipment in August 2007.
"We have an ongoing maintenance programme for our network of substations and electricity equipment to ensure a clean environment for the local community.
"Illegal dumping can cause a hazard to the local community and to NIE staff who need access to the equipment in the area.
"We will once again clear any rubbish dumped but would appeal to the local community to keep the electricity equipment clear from any dumping in future. This is an environmental hazard, which can be easily avoided. There is a wall surrounding the electricity equipment, which has been damaged. Unfortunately this wall does not belong to NIE and therefore we cannot repair it."
