Illegal dumping crisis at Labre Park as rat bites threaten resident's health

Ballyfermot Councillor Daithí Doolan demands immediate intervention after a rat bite and 'industrial-scale' illegal dumping has turned Labre Park Traveller site into a public health issue

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 10:54, 21 Aug 2026 View 2 Images Illegal dumping at Labre Park, Ballyfermot (Image: Daithí Doolan)

“Industrial level” dumping is threatening the health of residents living in Labre Park, one of whom was “bit by a rat and became seriously ill”.

Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan has called on Dublin City Council, the HSE and An Garda Síochána to address what he has estimated as “50 tonnes of waste” illegally dumped on Kylemore Road beside Ireland’s oldest Traveller site in Ballyfermot. “The illegal dump in Ballyfermot must be removed and cleaned up as a matter of urgency. It is unacceptable to expect residents to have to live beside this dump,” he said.

Having recently visited the site, Cllr Doolan said he was shocked at what he witnessed as residents and the Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project outlined the sheer scale of the problem. “They are furious that this has been allowed to continue. This dumping is at an industrial level. Those involved must face justice,” he said.

“And one poor fellow has already been bitten and was really ill from a disease he got from a rat. His caravan is right up against it and he's trying to stop the trucks. This is now a public health issue.”

Cllr Doolan could not confirm who the culprits are, but said residents have actively tried to stop the trucks coming in to no avail. “This is not a few sofas or black bags. This is industrial waste: concrete, cables, tyres, truck stuff,” he said, adding “someone’s making money out of this”.

Trucks are arriving through the front gate as well as the back of the estate, with Cllr Doolan stressing “there’s no protection for the estate” as “they can come in the back of it and dump the waste there”. “The residents deserve to live in proper health conditions. It would not be tolerated in other estates, why has it been tolerated in Labre Park?” he asked.

“I have contacted Dublin City Council , Gardaí, Health Service Executive and Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project highlighting the crisis. They must work together to remove this waste and make sure it doesn't happen again. We need to send out a loud and clear message, those involved in illegal dumping will face criminal sanctions.

“The residents of Labre Park have faced huge challenges over the years with the promised regeneration never happening, they can not be expected to live on a dump as well. I would plead with Dublin City Council to clear this up as a matter of urgency.”

With “three generations let down” already in Labre Park due to decades of delays in promised regeneration , areas that had been de-tenanted now sit “empty, gutted, and full of rubbish”. If this was happening just “ten minutes around the corner,” Cllr Doolan believes it would be addressed immediately.

“If this was on O'Connell Street, the Lord Mayor would be out as he was during the week , washing the streets. But because it's a working-class community in Ballyfermot, out of sight, out of mind, at the back of a housing estate, let them deal with it. Unacceptable,” he said.

View 2 Images Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan pictured with illegally dumped waste beside Labre Park, Ballyfermot

From speaking with residents, Cllr Doolan said it’s clear those in Labre Park wish to have the rubbish removed so their community can flourish. He highlighted their willingness to engage and outlined the dire need for regeneration of the site, which has been subjected to flooding and a lack of electricity in recent months .

The regeneration of Labre Park was first promised in 1999 as part of the first Traveller Accommodation Program (TAP) produced by Dublin City Council. This regeneration has reached various levels of completion, but the council has never managed to build or refurbish the homes.

Labre Park has been included in every five-year Traveller Accommodation Programme drawn up by Dublin City Council since 1999. Thirteen new units were promised for the period of 1993-2003, 22 for both 2004-2008 and 2009-2013, but none were ever built.

Dublin city councillors voiced their opposition to yet another delay last April, with Cllr Doolan calling them “unacceptable” and that works must proceed as a matter of urgency as residents are in substandard conditions “that nobody should be living in.” People Before Profit Cllr Hazel De Nortuin also raised concerns, stating that Traveller specific accommodation has been promised and DCC must make good on this.

Dublin City Council state they are still committed to delivering a housing scheme at Labre Park, but serious concerns around flood and drainage issues means it is being split into two phases. The first phase includes planned refurbishment and energy retrofit of the existing homes in Labre Park and Kylemore Grove. Phase 2 involved further investigations and flooding design work to establish if new homes can be delivered with appropriate flood mitigation works.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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