The discovery of a major illegal dump at Manorcunningham shows that the North West has become the wild west as far as waste disposal is concerned, says Derry MLA Eamon McCann.
McCann referred to reports which suggest thousands of tonnes of potentially toxic material are involved in the investigation.
He said “We aren’t dealing with fly-tipping here. Local people say that trucks have been carrying waste to the site for years. The operation frequently went on into the night, under floodlights. There was nothing discreet or hidden about it.
“Since the dumping has been beyond the law, nobody can be certain what the waste contains. The same goes for what’s believed to be the biggest illegal dump-site in Europe at Campsie outside Derry.
“People Before Profit has solid evidence, too, that lorry-loads of waste have been driven from the Campsie area across the border and dumped near Buncrana. This is cross-border crime at least as serious as fuel smuggling.
“A motion at the Assembly in 2014 following a Spotlight programme on the Campsie dump called for a public inquiry into waste disposal. It was passed unanimously. But there is no sign of any inquiry,” he said.
McCann says he has brought this up both formally and informally at Stormont, but to no avail.
“One part of the Manorcunningham investigation must focus on whether any of the waste came from the North. There is a an urgent need for cross-border action.
“If there remains no sign of serious effort to tackle the issue, environmentalists and others will have to discuss more direct action,” he added.
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