Fianna Fail is calling a a public campaign to be launched to crackdown on illegal dumping.

There has been a major increase in the amount of dumping in Dublin and it has been revealed that over €1,890,000 was spent across the four Dublin local authorities in 2017.

The party's Dublin Spokesperson, John Lahart TD, said: "Apart from the public nuisance, this activity also represents a public health risk.

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"Enhancing the penalties could go some way towards deterring those who are content with dumping their waste and making it someone else’s problem, but there are just a handful of officers employed to enforce important by-laws and fines on those responsible. A crackdown needs to be put in place and needs to be properly resourced.

"The true cost of illegal dumping ultimately falls back on the taxpayer and this is only set to increase further as the problem worsens across the capital. Informing the public of the costs, public health concerns and environmental impact associated with dumping is urgently required.

"The money spent by local authorities in their attempt to control the problem, should be allocated towards crucial public services, not dealing with other people's disgusting behaviour."

(CD/MH)