PICTURE: Two bags of rubbish dumped in Carlow Town river close to nesting swans

Two bags of rubbish have been dumped on the River Burren in Carlow Town close to nesting swans. 

Sunday morning walkers were disgusted to see swans become entangled while rummaging through bags of rubbish which were thrown into the river.  

The two large bags of rubbish became stuck on the Burren Weir when the curious birds went across to them. The swans are nesting on the banks of the river.

Local man Liam Maguire who walks the route occasionally said it was a "sad sight".

"Swans are a curious type of bird and were obviously hungry too, so these two bags of rubbish were a magnet for them.

"Watching one of the swans get entangled in the bag was a sad sight, watching the swan in distress and unfortunately there was nothing I could do to help them, thankfully he freed himself and swam back to the other swan.

"It's disgusting to see this type of behaviour on the river," he said.

Carlow resident, Declan Keogh, also walks that route and said people don't realise what dangers they put animals or wildlife at when they discard their rubbish.

"Swans, or animals in general who climb into plastic rubbish bags in search of food can suffocate or choke when they get caught up in the bag, plastic strings or bin ties.

"If there are any tin cans or sharp objects in the rubbish bags, they may be injured and will suffer cuts or wounds and depending on its severity, an animal could die from this.

"People don’t realise the dangers they put animals or wildlife in when dumping rubbish, and apart from that side of things, it’s a filthy habit and disgusting and irresponsible behaviour," he said.  

Carlow County Council have been notified of the rubbish on the weir and other domestic rubbish nearby.