Councillor Kathryn Owen acts over vandals smashing glass at bottle banks.
Speaking after a recent further breakage of bottles by vandals in Saintfield, Cllr Kathryn Owen said: “Residents have often told me that the bottle banks in the Council car park are an eyesore.
“I tend to agree with them. And no more so than now, after a resident went to all the trouble of boxing up glass bottles to set them at the base of the bottle bank.
“Sadly, with anti-social behaviour being a hot spot in the car park, the same boxes of glass have now been strewn all over the car park in pieces.
“I have asked the council to remove these bottle banks as our glass is now disposed of in our blue domestic bin, and any excess glass can be taken to the household recycling centres.
“Equally, they are taking up valuable car parking spaces for the local town, and in a post-lockdown world, we need to do all be can to encourage shoppers to our retail outlets, many of whom are finding trade difficult due to Covid-19.
“Newry Mourne and Down District Council has informed me that it is planning to remove these bottle banks shortly along with others identified across the district.
“I am sure the community will very much welcome this.”
