It’s hoped next year the 11th night bonfire can be a family affair, but in the meantime the priority is to keep the site tidy and safe.

To do so the site has been fenced off so that material for the bonfire is kept away from the road and houses.

Anne Hanlon, Chairperson of Mourneview and Grey Estates Community Association, commented:

“Earlier this year at our AGM residents raised the issue of the bonfire and the impact it has upon the local community. As a result of these concerns the community association has liaised with council and the Housing Executive to help keep the site surrounding the bonfire clean and tidy.

“Thankfully a fence has now been erected in front of the bonfire and we would appeal to anyone dumping wood that they do so behind the fence and away from the road and houses. Also we would ask that only wood is dumped.”

Lurgan Councillor Mark Russell said: “I hope this small step can be built upon for future years.

“I support the right for people to have bonfires as a legitimate expression of our culture, however, there has to be respect for local residents and the bonfires have to be managed in a way that limits the impact on the whole community.”

He said it was unacceptable that for two months leading up to the 11th night debris and waste is dumped outside the homes of residents.

Secretary of Mourneview and Grey Estates Community Association Michelle Hanlon signalled the intention of the community association to convene a meeting later in the summer to discuss the bonfire issue in plenty of time for next July.

She said: “In August we hope to start a process that would change the nature of bonfires in Mourneview. We note the positive developments that have occurred at traditional bonfires elsewhere in Northern Ireland and we would want to see this bonfire transformed to become a family friendly, cultural event and that antisocial behaviour, littering, illegal dumping, etc is eliminated.”