CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

After Four Months’ Reprieve, Diapers Once Again Dumped in CdM

UPDATED to clarify the number of incidents in December.

Someone once again has strewn used diapers along a stretch of East Coast Highway between Cameo Highlands Drive and Morning Canyon Road — the first diapers to appear in the area since early May.

A Newport Beach police detective today confirmed “there is no new information as to who is responsible for disposing of the diapers in this manner,” according to an email from Kathy Lowe, a Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman.

The diapers last appeared in May; read our story here. At that time, Newport Beach code enforcement officers investigated but were unable to trace the person responsible. They also said that unless the person was caught in the act, it would be very difficult to cite him or her for littering.

The used diapers, which appeared to be adult-sized, first began to appear on that stretch of road in the summer of 2011. One nearby resident said she’d seen the diapers every few months, but by early winter, they would appear every few weeks. In December 2011, there were at least two occasions where the diapers littered the roadway, causing cyclists to swerve to avoid them before city crews were able to remove them; read our earlier story here.

Newport Beach’s municipal code prohibits throwing garbage on streets and in public places, and fines start at $100. Anyone who sees someone dumping diapers should call general services at (949) 644-3055.

About a dozen diapers, some wrapped in plastic shopping bags, were visible on the road about noon today.