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Track marks in the Banna dunes area.
SINN Féin Kerry County Councillor Deirdre Ferris has called on the council to do more to protect sand dunes and other protected areas along our coastline.
In a motion before today’s monthly council meeting, Cllr Ferris has said that anti-social and illegal behaviour is putting these vulnerable areas at risk.
She said that illegal dumping, camp fires and the use of scramblers and quad bikes have been causing serious issues in recent times and said that residents in the Banna area reported the use of scramblers in the dunes only this weekend.
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She said: “I am requesting that the council, as a first step, consider erecting a series of educational notice boards in these areas to highlight their protected status and their importance, not only to the ecology of our coastline, but also as the last line of defence from the sea for many households and businesses.
“Over recent times, including this weekend, we have seen damage being caused to the dunes by serious fires, illegal dumping and the use of scramblers in the Banna area. There seems to be a lack of knowledge around the protected status that these areas enjoy and I would hope that, with a bit of education, we might be able to prevent some of this activity.
“But we also need to deter some of the more serious and illegal behaviour and that will require a policing response. I am not naive enough to believe that education alone will prevent some of this activity.”
