Dumping of small amounts of domestic or industrial rubbish on a roadside is all too common in the countryside in general and our hills in particular. If it doesn’t get reported it will lie there for much longer. Contact your local council who will clear it up and look for evidence to prosecute offenders, which they do regularly in the hills. One repeat offender was fined £3,000 recently.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council – 028 9446 3113

You can also report fly-tipping incidents online via the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council website.

Belfast City Council – 028 9032 0202

You can also report fly-tipping incidents online via the Belfast City Council website.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council – 028 9244 7300

If you live in the Lisburn and Castlereagh Council area you can also report via the ReportAll App. To download ReportAll go to the ‘App Store’ for iPhone users or the ‘Play Store’ for Android users. Search for ‘ReportAll’ by RH Environmental and tap ‘Get’ or ‘Install’ to download the app.

Major illegal dumping of lorry loads of waste does happen in the hills and should be reported to NIEA Environmental Crime – 0800 80 70 60

Dry spells in spring and summer often bring wildfires across the hills which damage wildlife, landscape and farmland. An early response by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) often averts major damage, so as soon as you see a fire in the hills simply report it by phoning 999 and asking for the Fire Service. Don’t think that somebody else has reported it – every call is appreciated and may provide more information.

Any information about wildlife crime should be passed immediately to the PSNI* on telephone 101.

• • Describe your call as a Wildlife Crime report;

• • Give details of the crime: the who, what, where, when and how;

• • Ask for an incident reference number.

*Information can also be given anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can find out more about what constitutes a wildlife crime by visiting the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime NI (PAWNI) website.

There are good things to report too! We are getting more and more photos, videos and witness reports posted on social media. You don’t need to be an expert to photograph a bird, insect or plant you think is unusual. Send it to us for identification and we’ll get back to you. We have had some very rare sightings recently, all by visitors – expertise not required!

In Northern Ireland we have lost over 50 species during the last century, with many more species and habitats in danger of disappearing, especially at local level.  It is important for site managers to know what wildlife has been spotted and where. This ensures that site management is appropriate to species needs.

We need you to do your bit. Tell us about any species you have seen in the Belfast Hills so we can record the information and provide for that species in future. You can do this through the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR). Please click on the button below and follow the instructions given.

Thank you!