Belfast Council staff having to clean up human excrement left by drug users

Belfast Council workers are having to clean up human waste left behind by drug users, it has emerged.

Managers at the body called a meeting in recent days to discuss how to deal with the issue which one source says has got worse over recent months.

The Council is also using a private security firm to patrol Council-owned public toilets looking for drug users.

One source familiar with the issue said there is an “increasing problem” with human excrement having to be cleaned up at premises in the city centre.

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They added: “Shops and cafes are increasingly not letting drug users in, so there’s fewer places they are going. But there’s an issue with them basically going to the toilet when they come down off the drugs and you’ve the mess left behind having to be cleaned up.

"You’re talking about shop windows and that. It’s getting really bad. So much so that there was a meeting called at the Council to see how to deal with it.”

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The issue comes amid growing concerns about intravenous drug use in the city. Evidence of the problem, like dumped syringes, has been found in a number of area around the city.

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “Council works with a range of partners to address the complex issues of drug-use and anti-social behaviour in the city.

"As part of this work, patrols are carried out including regular monitoring of Council-owned toilets to ensure that they are safe and clean for the general public. The frequency of these checks has not changed recently.

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“Unfortunately our cleansing staff are occasionally required to clear up human excrement. This has been discussed with partner organisations to consider how to address this issue, and our cleansing teams will monitor areas where this has been reported.”

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