Concern for Louth council staff clearing needles from St Peter’s cemetery

The worrying issue of drug dealing and using in St Peter’s Cemetery, Crosslanes, has been raised at council level, with concerns not only expressed for visitors to the graveyard, but also for council staff who must clear-up dangerous paraphernalia.

Cllr Declan Power said the church facility was safe enough during the daytime, but another matter entirely after dark.

"I have had a lot of people contact me about drug use and substance abuse in the Catholic St Peter’s graveyard in Crosslanes, with the remnants of needles and other debris scattered around the place,” said Cllr Power. “You’ve got a lot of CE (Community Employment) staff up there, who may not be qualified enough to deal with rubbish of this sort, and I wonder what support or assistance can come from council staff, who may be more trained or familiar with these problems.”

Borough Engineer Mark Johnston said the council staff are trained in disposal of this parapharnalia.

"I know our staff knows how to deal with them and do get some training on what to do with the needles etc,” he said.

Senior Executive Paddy Donnelly also explained what happens this debris.

"There is an initiative with the North East Regional Drugs Task Force, so there has been cross-boundary engagement with the staff in Louth and Meath County Councils in relation to the management and recovery of such waste,” he said. “There is a general disregard for how people dispose of these things, and other litter, but we have up-skilled our staff to be able to deal with this issue.”