IBAL report issued 12 December 2005 re survey carried out on afternoon of 3 October 2005

Longford: Overall result 73.33%

There were many excellent sites in Longford, but the best was the SuperValu Car Park which was in pristine condition - the whole area was so well maintained. Edgeworthstown Approach Road created a very positive first impression of the town and Ballymahon Street was much cleaner than previous litter surveys. However, the Canal Walk was disappointing due to the discarding of half a dozen black sacks and litter in the water - frequently this site has been much cleaner in the past. The worst area was Wards Terrace / St. Michael's Road which has been abused and neglected over a long period of time.

CLEAN TO EUROPEAN NORMS
1. Edgeworthstown Approach Road: This long stretch of road created a very positive first impression of Longford. The road surface / markings and signage were all in very good condition. The verges and grass areas had been recently cut.

2. Laurel Lodge / Avenue: The main part of the development was in excellent condition and clear of all litter. However, the grass verges on the left hand side of the entrance needs attention - the somewhat uncared for area might encourage future litter.

3. Scoil Eimear: The grounds of the school were very well maintained. The area was a credit to the pupils / users of the school and those responsible for its maintenance.

4. Ballymahon Street: The overall impression here is that the street is much cleaner than it has been over previous litter surveys. The shop fronts were well presented, there were plenty of large, solid litter bins and the road signage was very good.

5. SuperValu Car Park: Within the very good sites in Longford this was one of the best. The whole area was in excellent condition with first class road surface / markings and signage. There were plenty of good litter bins.

MODERATELY LITTERED
1. IDA Industrial Estate: This was a very mixed site. Some individual premises were in very good condition, but not all. There was an abandoned car in the shrubbery area, right in front of a Site Safety notice. An area which appears to be under construction was very untidy in appearance and harboured some low levels of litter.

2. Railway Station: Some parts of the station were excellent e.g. the interior and the passenger loading areas were litter free. However, there was litter in the car park, outside the waiting area and under the walkover bridge - not for the first time here. All of this litter was food related.

3. Recycle Facility at SuperValu: In the main this recycle facility was in quite good condition. The bins were clean and not overflowing, as can so easily happen when the facility is poorly managed. Just some light scatterings of broken glass and large pieces of plastic wrap took away from an otherwise good site.

SERIOUS LITTER PROBLEM
1. Canal Walk (at Restricted Bridge No. 14). This was a disappointing site compared to previous litter surveys. Not only was it less well maintained, with overgrown weeds, but there were at least half a dozen black plastic bags dumped beside a wall. There were no litter bins in the area surveyed.

LITTER BLACKSPOT
1. Wards Terrace / St. Michael's Road: Derelict buildings, burn out buildings, domestic appliances and burnt debris in a corner all contribute to the overall appearance at this site. As well as the public areas being very poor some of the individual gardens had heavy levels of litter - this is a long-term problem and there has been no change in four years.