Here is what you need to know about anti-litter CCTV in Waterford

Waterford City and County Council intend to install five to ten anti-litter cameras around the county.

Senior Executive Officer in the Environment Department, Dawn Wallace, told councillors at the September sitting of the Dungarvan-Lismore District Council that while the oversight group has approved 31 sites for cameras, a limited number will be moved around.

This is due to funding, and the tender for which is wrapping up, and the cost will be per camera, per month and per space.

The number of cameras live at any one time will depend on the cost.

“The purpose of the consultation was to have those agreed. They are agreed for a three-year period. So they will select based on funding available to us, a number of cameras in a number of spaces, prioritising those at the highest level of complaints,” said Ms Wallace.

Ms Wallace said that the way they decide where to put a camera will depend on complaints logged on the CRM system.

They must, she said, show there is a problem in an area before they can install a camera.

“This is where I go back to constantly saying to people you need to encourage people to report littering and other issues,” said Ms Wallace.

The council is hopeful that the cameras will be in place over the next few months.

But that will depend on the availability of the cameras and the contractor to carry out the work.

Councillor Thomas Phelan asked if the signs would stay in place even if the cameras moved.

Ms Wallace responded that it would not be legally possible.

“We are not legally allowed to have signs up to say there is CCTV where there is no CCTV. That’s for a couple of reasons. 

"One, it's misleading, and two, it lends people a sense of security that isn’t necessarily in place. So that’s one of the rationales for that.

“So we do have to put signs up to say CCTV is there, but we will have to take them down when the CCTV isn’t there,” said Ms Wallace.