“Visitors must receive a warm welcome and leave with a great impression of the town”
Sinn Féin Local Election candidate Joanne Thompson has described the area around Drogheda’s bus station and the Watery Hill steps as dirty and off-putting to residents and tourists alike.
She was speaking after walking around the area attempting to see it through the eyes of a visitor to the town.
“Imagine a visitor or a tourist arriving by bus to the station” she said, “the first sight they are met with is broken glass, empty drinks cans and overflowing bins. As we all know from our own holidays, first impressions are the most important.
“Tourists who are interested in visiting our beautiful Drogheda Museum and Millmount are directed up the Waterhill steps via phone mapping apps but are met with more glass, cans and rubbish and sometimes, drug users and their paraphernalia.”
Ms Thompson said she was saddened as we approach the summer months to see Drogheda in such a state.
“With the recent closure of our last town centre hotel, it is incumbent on the people of Drogheda to ensure that Drogheda is a place worth visiting even if only for a day and those visitors must receive a warm welcome and leave with a great impression of the town which is half-way between Dublin and Belfast. The good people of Drogheda want to see our town, soon to be city hopefully, thrive.
“I have asked Louth County Council to carry out regular cleaning around our main tourist attractions as well as the routes tourists visitors will take on foot to these attractions. I also asked for increased bin checks to ensure rubbish can be disposed of responsibly. This is our town, a town we are all proud of so let’s be pro-active instead of re-active and put Drogheda’s best foot forward.”
