Dundalk, in the 2009 litter league results, slipped from eleventh to twelfth place in the prestigious rankings, a long way from its finest year in 2007, when it clinched the title for Ireland's cleanest town.

However, although it no longer has the title of 'Litter Free Status' Dundalk is still 'Clean to European Norms' despite some areas coming under criticism, one being Clanbrassil Street.

Now, Councillor Ian Dooley wants the negative aspects to be eliminated in time for next year's judging.

Cllr Dooley welcomed the latest IBAL report, but highlighted Clanbrassil St as a place where improvements can be made, especially with the amount of littering taking place on the street.

Clanbrassil Street, according to the report was 'moderately littered' with food related litter. One surveyor actually observed school children leaving litter on street seats.

The report added: "The seats themselves were not only dirty but in need of a coat of paint. The street is poorly served by litter bins."

Cllr Dooley said: "This is an issue I have raised in the past and I have again asked the officials to look at focusing on having the litter bins in the area emptied before and after school lunch times. "Also I asked that the outdoor street cleaning staff focus on areas like Clanbrassil Street, Yorke Street, Chapel Street and Bridge Street after lunch breaks to ensure any discarded food litter is removed."

Cllr Dooley also asked that officials contact the schools around Dundalk and ask them to make their students aware of the problems of discarding food litter and to use litter bins where provided.

He also commended the staff on continuing to do an outstanding job around Dundalk which results in ongoing impressive results in not only IBAL surveys but Tidy Town competitions as well.