COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 12, 2015

QUESTION NO.4

QUESTION: Councillor J. Lahart

To ask the Chief Executive, given that the Cars for Cash signs continue to be posted liberally throughout the county - and have been done so for the last two years - to outine all the measures the Council has taken independently to deal with the issue and in partnership with the Garda Siochána

REPLY:

All signage that is erected illegally is subject to investigation and enforcement action, pursuant to Section 19 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, as amended, where the alleged offender can be identified.  It is the policy of the Council to initiate Direct Prosecution against repeat offenders.

Advances in technology mean that businesses can operate with only a website address or a mobile phone number. This presents a serious difficulty in identifying the owners of such businesses and as a result, enforcement action cannot be taken in these cases. 

"Cash for Car" signage has been a persistent problem for all Local Authorities in the Greater Dublin Area over the last couple of years and the four Dublin Local Authorities engaged in an extensive media campaign in late 2014 advising motorists not to sell their unwanted car via "Cash for Cars" method. 

While precise information on number of signs removed by this Council is not readily available, it is believed that in excess of 5,000 illegal "Cash for Cars" signs were removed from lampposts and street signage within the Dublin Area, including over 200 which have been removed by the Gardai from the N81. 

As with all illegal signage, those responsible for erecting "Cash for Cars" signs are subject to a litter fine in the amount of €150.  Fines have been issued in a small number of cases, but regrettably the fines have not actually been served due to the difficulty in tracking down those responsible for erecting signage.  Attempts at Direct Prosecutions have also unfortunately been unsuccessful due to difficulty with serving summonses and therefore could not proceed.

In June 2015, An Garda Síochána assisted by the Council's Waste Enforcement Section successfully prosecuted an individual under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud) Act, 2001 for offences relating to "Cash for Cars" and our Waste Enforcement Section continues to liaise and co-operate fully with An Garda Síochána and neighbouring Local Authorities in relation to this matter.