Issues with human waste at the beauty spots of Woodstown beach and Kilmurrin cove are once more being raised by Waterford councillors.
Eddie Mulligan is calling for the reopening of the public toilets at Woodstown, which were closed in 2018 due to anti-social behaviour.
The Fianna Fail Councillor said he has been 'overwhelmed' by contacts from local residents who claim campers were seen defecating and urinating in public over the weekend at the popular beach. He said the by-laws need to be enforced.
Meanwhile, human waste has been discarded at Kilmurrin Cove on the Copper Coast according to County Waterford Cllr Declan Clune.
Raising the matter at the recent Comeragh area meeting of councillors, he said locals who swim there daily had contacted him about the issue which was again coming to the fore as more campervans and tourists have begun to visit the area.
The council says public toilet facilities will be available at Bunmahon and Stradbally. However, Bunmahon is a six-minute drive from Kilmurrin and Stradbally a 17-minute drive.
But Cllr Clune asked the council whether they would consider providing additional toilet facilities for campervans parking at the likes of Kilmurrin:
"There was a lot of waste left behind, and I don't mean crisp packets and stuff it would have been toilet paper and you know... Essentially with the older camper vans they have no onboard toilet facilities whereas the newer ones have a chemical solution."
He asked if something could be done on a temporary basis for the summer season to prevent the area from "being potentially destroyed with human waste and any other waste that can arise".
Responding, senior engineer with Waterford Council Ray Moloney said they had no plans at present to provide additional toilet facilities along the Copper Coast.
He said public toilet facilities would be open in Bunmahon and Stradbally ahead of the June Bank Holiday weekend:
"It is not our intention to provide additional ones, temporary ones at other locations at this point in time, but to ensure that the ones we have are opened and maintained for public use".
