Third successive 'litter-free' award for Enniskillen

Enniskillen has been recognised as among the top three litter-free towns in Ireland during the recent 'All-Ireland Anti-Litter League' competition.

In the survey organised by Irish Business Against Litter, the County Fermanagh town achieved a score of 81 points, enough to win the designation of 'litter-free'. This is the third time in three years that Enniskillen had achieved the A-grade status – only Fermoy in Co Cork can match that record.

Fermanagh District Council's Director of Technical Services, Gerry Knox, said that the council was "delighted" by the news.

"This award is very important to us. We have consistently scored highly in this award, and it is a whole year round business to try to deal with litter and refuse. The staff work hard to ensure that litter is picked up in the town and also in the surrounding rural areas which will be frequently used by tourists," he said.

As the award is assessed across a number of visits by the judging panel, it is not granted on a simple snapshot of how the town performs on a single day. This, said Mr Knox, made the award doubly satisfying as it recognises "the consistent hard work and determination of the council" in addressing environmental issues.

Of the 29 towns assessed in the survey, only three were designated litter-free. The survey found 10 were moderately littered, 12 were heavily littered and four were found to be very heavily littered.

Armagh was next best-placed town in Northern Ireland, placed fourth with 79 points.

Enniskillen has won a series of awards over the past decade, and has won Best Kept Large Town in Northern Ireland on five occasions and Best Kept Large Town in Ireland on four occasions.

Mr Knox said that partnerships between the council, traders and residents had worked "very effectively" in ensuring that the town maintained its reputation as a litter-free zone.

(GMcG)