Fianna Fáil is calling on Housing Minister Simon Coveney to tackle the rising litter problem in Dublin.

Spokesperson for Dublin, John Lahart, said the local authority has spent almost €700,000 on the removal and disposal of illegally dumped bags alone.

He said: "Those deliberately and covertly disposing of their rubbish illegally are becoming a big problem in our communities particularly on derelict sites across the city. Fines are just one way of managing litter black spots in urban areas and in 2014 almost 1,700 fines were issued but only 575 were paid.

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"It is believed that over 100 complaints for cases of illegal dumping were reported to South Dublin County Council last year. Frustratingly, it is proving extremely difficult to obtain evidence to take further action in relation to identifying those carrying out any illegal dumping.

"In a survey carried out by An Taisce on behalf of Irish Business against Litter, inspectors deemed the North Inner City in particular, seriously littered. The cost of illegal dumping places an unfair burden on the taxpayer which is only set to increase.

"In the longer term, if we do not address this ongoing issue it will eventually begin to impact heavily on local authority budgets and our economy as a whole.

"Tourism Ireland continues to exceed ambitious year-on-year targets to increase the number of tourists visiting the capital. We must take greater pride in our surroundings and add illegal dumping higher on the political agenda in need of a solution."

(CD/JP)