Clare County Council has confirmed that a prosecution is imminent arising from the discovery of the largest ever illegal dump in Clare.
As a result of a four-day initial investigation by council officials and consultants of the 20-acre site near the village of Parteen, close to the Clare-Limerick border, a council spokesman said yesterday a prosecution was pending under the Waste Management Acts 1996 - 2003.
The spokesman said that the council would be unable to quantify the tonnage involved in the dump until the investigation is complete."It is anticipated that investigations will be completed early in 2005," he said.
It is understood that the illegal dump contains household waste, construction and demolition debris. The site has been the subject of previous court actions by the local authority.
The chair of the council's Environmental Special Policy Committee, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), said: "A clear message must be sent out that illegal dumping of any description will not be tolerated and that we cannot have our environment polluted by anyone.
"I would hope that the full rigours of the law be applied in this case. Council staff have been at the site for four solid days now, and are confident that a prosecution will result from this investigation."
Already, the council has served notices under Section 18 of the Waste Management Act on a number of businesses and householders in the Clare-Limerick area arising from the survey of the site.
The council's director of services for the environment, Mr David Timlin, said yesterday: "This inspection is just one element of the enforcement drive, which will include carrying out inspections on a number of sites throughout the county."
The council this year is expected to spend just under €600,000 on pollution monitoring and enforcement, and as part of the initiative is employing private investigators to mount surveillance operations in an effort to convict people of illegal dumping across the county. Though it is believed that private investigators were not used in the Parteen case, Mr Timlin said that part of the budget goes towards the employment of private investigators for surveillance and evidence collection.
Along with the employment of private investigators, Mr Timlin said that the council's enforcement team is to be aided by the use of closed circuit television, both fixed and mobile, in certain situations to obtain information.
Mr Timlin said a dedicated multi-disciplinary enforcement team is to be headed by a senior executive engineer. The full team includes three environmental patrol wardens and two engineers, backed up by three administrative staff.
Mr Timlin added: "It is our aim that publicity for enforcement results, with an increased environment awareness programme, will act as a deterrent, and lead to reduced levels of dumping and littering at an early date.
"Clare County Council has been playing, and continues to play, an active role in enforcing environmental legislation."
