Clean-up continues

Mid Louth Independent - October 3rd 2003

THE clean up of Drogheda's famous River Boyne continued over the last week as a further 300 shopping trolleys were removed.

Boyne Fishermen Rescue and Recovery Service (BFRRS), together with Drogheda Borough Council, spent last Friday helping to locate and extract all various items of debris that have been deposited arid dumped into the rivers over the years.

It is the latest attempt to remove the dangerous items from the river and will continue on Thursday when it is hoped to remove a further 200 trolleys from the river.

'This is a part of an ongoing project to clean up the river, to improve its whole appearance and to help show the aesthetic qualities that this famous and historical river brings to the town of Drogheda,' said Michael McCabe of the Borough Council's Environment Section.

'Drogheda Borough Council hopes, over the coming years, to continuously improve the various qualities that encompass the river, which will include areas such as leisure and amenity, river quality, wildlife and birds.'

The council will be liaising with various organisations in the town in this regard and these will include Drogheda Port Company and the newly formed Drogheda Conservation Trust.

Michael Hodgins of BFRRS said his divers spent several hours on Friday at the bottom of the river in the town centre attempting to clear up the river.

'Our members have been diving into the river and hooking up ropes to the various objects down there. The Borough Council provided us with a JCB and we used that to drag them out,' he said.

© Mid Louth Independent