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THE IRISH AVIATION Authority has warned there will be serious consequences for anyone using drones but not following regulations, including possible prosecution, ahead of the Christmas period.
The IAA said there are risks associated with the devices which have become popular gifts for children and adults at this time of they year.
Over the past four years, the number of drones registered in Ireland has almost trebled from 5,000 in December 2015, to almost 14,000 this year.
All drones must be registered with the IAA which sets and enforces regulations in this area.
“Worldwide we have seen an upsurge in the use of drones and this is set to continue, Peter Kearney, CEO of the IAA said.
“But drones are not like any other toy. They can have very serious consequences if they collide with a person, an animal, an aircraft or many other objects. Therefore, if you do get a drone this Christmas, you need to know the rules so that you can fly it safely,” he added.
The IAA outlined a number of tips to ensure the devices are used appropriately but the IAA’s CEO has told members of the public who witness drones being flown incorrectly to report them to gardaí, which he said could lead to prosecution of offenders.
All drones weighing 1kg or more must be registered with the authority, while those weighing less than this are permitted to be flown without a permit but no more than 15 metres above ground level, and no further than 300 metres from the operator.
“Thankfully the vast majority of drone users are compliant with the regulations,” Kearney said.
“But if you do see anyone not complying with the regulations, we would encourage you to contact your local garda station. Reckless use of a drone or inappropriate use of a drone camera may result in prosecution.”
It is illegal to fly a drone within 5km of an airport in Ireland. Last year, airports across the world including Heathrow and Gatwick in London were forced to ground flights after drones were sighted flying too close to the them on several occasions.
Earlier this year, The National Civil Aviation Threat and Risk Group in Ireland met, at the request of Transport Minister Shane Ross, to discuss potential drone activity near Irish airports.
The 10 tips outlined by IAA to avoid infringement on any the regulations are:
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The privatisation of waste collection is biting hard it seems. It also getting harder and harder to find a public bin to dispose of the odd choc ice wrapper.
@Padraig Grimes: The privatization of any essential services are have been proved to be an absolute disaster. To many greedy people draining the finances to line their own pockets, with bonuses, expenses ect ect ect.
@Colette Kearns: you said it, just look at England.
@Padraig Grimes: the problem is the dirty Irish. In particular the durty dubs.
Well those who dumped in the mountains were hardly looking for bins.
@Mary King: no, and I’m not defending public dumping, but just maybe they can’t afford a private bin collection.
@Padraig Grimes: to be fair there are alot of people pleading poverty who have no problem working out for TV subscriptions and pizza.
How badly littered is Ireland? Join us at OpenLitterMap.com – it’s like Pokémon Go for Tidy Towns
I lived in Australia for a number of years. They did not privatise the bins. Its is paid for through their house tax (rates). One a year the council do a large items collection, they give your neighbourhood a weeks notice and you leave all your large rubbish out (beds, furniture etc) and its taken…… This results in zero dumpling, until we so the same dumpling will continue. Id rather pay the government 400 euro a year for this service than a private bin company.
@George Weener: this is Ireland, we get no service for the family home tax.
@George Weener: but I like dumplings!
Block the scenic roads with a metal barrier like Coilte
Pay for a tag to let you through and it is then recorded
Goodnight to the major dumpers
@Quentin Moriarty: like the tag for the toll. Who is passing through there to view the scenery at night when most fly tipping happens ?
Revenue from the tags is ring fences to maintain the area
@Quentin Moriarty:
That’s way too logic. How dare you.
Waste being dumped on one hand, litter bins being removed by council’s on the other, spotted two very ignorant car drivers throwing their cigarettes out the windows, needless to say they weren’t too enthusiastic when I gave them my middle finger as I passed them in traffic in the city link road in traffic on my motorcycle yesterday.
@Charles Coughlan: well done for confronting them. Perhaps an open paper bag of butts thrown in would help them understand
Disgusting behaviour. Why on earth isnt domestic refuse collection incorporated into LPT? Why does every byway, village and estate have multiple companies collecting waste on different days, spewing out multiples of the CO2 that should be (more carbon tax anyone? says our wise government) and snarling up traffic? Why am i paying through the nose for all this when everyone should be paying their fair share and designated geographical areas should be efficently allocated to different waste collection companies with the savings passed on?….the answer has just come to me, its Ireland and the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
@daniel casey: Been preaching exactly this formula for years, but no one in the ivory towers seem bothered. The refuse truck crews can identify the households & business premises that don’t have an approved bin service, but no one in authority canvasses that mine of information. Plus, the licensed companies, most of which are slicing their revenues off shore tax exempt, are only interested in subscribers with bank accounts to direct debit, or who are diligent in the prepayment top up system.
And as for the residual public space refuse service, it is also an uncoordinated shambles, very poorly managed, with vans & personnel buzzing hither & thither, never full, & never to be seen for weeks, or any afternoons.
Autumn leaves still mushed on paths & in drains late January throughout Dublin!
Littering in the mountains and countryside is epidemic. And it’s not being done by those who ‘can’t pay’ for bin services – just by those who are too greedy to pay.
Bin services were originally paid for through taxes, and they should be again. The cost of remediation must be huge under the current regime…
If there was anything more than lip service being paid to the disgusting fly tipping epidemic, domestic refuse charges would be part of LPT. The current system is ridiculous and incentivises illegal dumping. We’re going to be taxed to the hilt for carbon in a few years and yet every estate and byway in the land has two or three different companies carrying out refuse collections, each spewing out CO2 and holding up traffic. Who is responsible for this crazy system? Government get your act together, get the cheaters paying through LPT, allocate designated geographical areas to different waste collection companies and pass on the savings to consumers. Oh, i almost forgot….this is Ireland, the inbeciles in charge will never let that happen.
Only Dirt Bags that would do that..
Local Authorities made a small fortune when they privatized the Bin collection services. Please let us know what they did with the millions of euros that they received.
F F S
All used electrical appliances can be returned to electrical shops for free under the Wee scheme and are also taken in by County councils for free .
But some dump it and adds thousands of euro to the clean up bill .
Agreed with the idea to improve the garbage recollection system.
have your say