THE GOVERNMENT is to remove a quarter of a million tonnes of illegal waste secretly buried at 20 illegal dumps in Border areas of the North.
Under a five-year scheme agreed between the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and its Stormont equivalent, the Republic will pay 80 per cent of the costs of unearthing the waste, disposing of it and making good the sites.
Sammy Wilson, the Stormont Environment Minister, has agreed to pay the remaining 20 per cent of costs, estimated to total some £600,000 (€700,000).
“This represents a good deal for Northern Ireland, and I look forward to seeing work beginning soon to remove the waste at the first two sites, and the elimination of any potential environmental issues associated with the illegally dumped material,” he said.
Committing his department to co-operating to wipe out cross-Border illegal dumping, he added: “These joint enforcement operations together with the prosecution of those previously involved in this type of environmental crime are designed to present a deterrent to illegal waste management activities.”
Minister for the Environment John Gormley said: “Someone has to pay the costs to clean up these particular sites, and that is why I believe that the regime that we now have put in place here will mean that people are brought to justice, that they can be brought to court and they will have to cough up the money.”
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) believes the waste was illicitly dumped between five and seven years ago.
There have been some 70 court cases in the North regarding illegal dumping of waste from the Republic, with fines totalling about £800,000. Four jail sentences have been handed down.
Mr Wilson added: “Enforcement staff from NIEA and the Republic of Ireland are continuing to work together to ensure that illegal dumping of Republic of Ireland waste in Northern Ireland does not happen in the future.”
SDLP Fermanagh Assembly member Tommy Gallagher said: “The problem of illegal waste is absolutely enormous and the [Stormont] department will have to run very hard to catch up.”