THE DEADLINE FOR taking posters down is midnight tonight.

All election posters must be removed within seven days of polling day – this includes cable ties used to hang posters up.

The clean-up effort may be complicated by stormy weather experienced on the day of the election; and Storm Dennis which will bring rain and strong winds across the country this weekend.

The requirements to remove election posters within this timeframe are set out under section 19 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 and the Electoral (Amendment) (No 2) Act 2009.

Local authorities are in charge of enforcing this law: so if you see posters around the place after today, then contact your local authority.

“Complaints about such posters should be made directly to the appropriate local authority stipulating their exact location to enable local authorities arrange for their removal,” states a section on the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment’s website.

Any election posters in place outside the allowed time frame will be deemed to be in breach of the legislation, putting candidates at risk of an an on-the-spot litter fine of €150.

A spokesperson for the Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment said that the fine is €150 per poster.

“The responsibility for the enforcement of litter law lies with the local authority and therefore complaints would be directed to them,” it said.

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

If the poster in question is an individual candidate’s poster, then the fine is for the candidate. If the poster is from a political party – ie, Labour’s “Well fix health”, or Fianna Fáil’s “An Ireland for all” poster – the fine is for the party.

Local authorities are also responsible for the removal of posters which constitute a hazard to either pedestrians or road users.

In December, it was revealed that Dublin City Council is considering a ban election posters in parts of Dublin through the establishment of “exclusion zones”.

It’s being considered as a measure to reduce the amount of posters used by candidates during elections.