Councillors offer to match cash reward for identifying milk fly tipping culprit

Earlier this week, Belfast-based Farmview Dairies said it was offering £500 to anyone who could help identify those responsible for dumping large quantities of their milk products in the area.

There have been numerous reports over the past few years of discarded dairy cartons and packaging along the shoreline between Islandmagee and Glenarm, with the most recent discovery at the weekend.

"This is a disgrace and have been trying to put a stop to this," Farmview Dairies said. "We deliver milk all over Northern Ireland, and to many different suppliers who then distribute our milk on making tracing it much harder.

"We have been in talks with the council who have said they will carry out patrols along the shore. We are also offering a £500 cash reward to anyone with information which leads to us or the council catching the culprit. Someone must know something; please help us put a stop to this."

Commenting on the issue, Coast Road councillor Andrew Clarke said: "Farmview have offered £500 to catch the culprit dumping these milk containers. I and my colleague Angela Symth will match this - so a grand if you can catch them.

"I hate litter. In fact, I would go as far as to regard it as a form of treason. Punishments should be appropriately severe, and from school onwards it needs to be treated as socially unacceptable.

"While all litter is bad, plastic is especially damaging. To put them by the sea is worse again."

The DUP representative added: "During the last council term, Angela pushed to introduce 'sea-bins', a small step in dealing with ocean pollution. Many volunteers from Larne and beyond give up time to clean our beautiful area, only to have individuals behave like this.

"I have spoken with Farmview, and am reasonably satisfied that they are acting responsibly. They have also undertaken to contact all their distributors, alerting them to the problem and asking them to be alert to suspicious behaviour."

A spokesperson for Farmview Dairies indicated that discarded milk cartons found in the Coast Road area at the weekend appeared to be from a food service origin, such as a hotel or restaurant, rather than retail or domestic.