NI Water Joins Forces with Limavady Borough Council in the Fight against the ‘Dirty Dozen’
08 July 2014 16:22
With Summer finally here and increasing visitors to our beaches, NI Water and Limavady Borough Council are calling on the public to help us keep these beaches clean and rubbish free by not flushing the ‘Dirty Dozen’.The ‘Dirty Dozen’ are the twelve most common items the public flush and dump down our sewers. The ring leader is the innocent looking Baby Wipe, closely followed by Sanitary Towel. These ordinary household items head a gang of everyday products that cause mayhem with the sewer system when flushed down the toilet or dumped in the sewers.
Angela Halpenny, Head of Environmental Regulation at NI Water, explains:
“People genuinely don’t realise the damage they are doing when they flush household items down the toilet. Then when they take a trip to the beach they are shocked at the items that can be found there or floating in the water.
“NI Water has recently invested circa £8M upgrading the sewerage network and wastewater treatment facilities in the wider Benone and Magilligan area. A brand new, state of the art Wastewater Treatment Works has been constructed at Point Road, Magilligan which will bring many benefits to the local community however, to ensure our sewers continue to flow freely we are asking for members of the public to play their part by using the sewerage system responsibly.
“We know the public would support us and dispose of these items in the bin rather than down the sewer if they were aware of the damage of their actions. By raising awareness, we can beat the ‘Dirty Dozen’ and keep our beaches beautiful!”
Joining NI Water’s fight against the ‘Dirty Dozen’ is Mayor of Limavady, Councillor Alan Robinson,
“Limavady Borough Council is very proud that Benone Strand has been awarded the Blue Flag for the forthcoming season. Having Excellent Bathing Water Quality is a key element of the award and everyone has their role to play by following the advice of the Dirty Dozen campaign especially given the recent investment in infrastructure at Magilligan by NI Water.”