Scale of waste crime near Londonderry leads to new ‘task force’

Outgoing Environment Minister Alex Attwood has announced he is to create a ‘Waste Crime Task Force’ to put the spotlight on waste crime “like never before”. He also announced that there will be a review of other locations which may be at “risk” of waste crime going on, focussing on a ‘top 25’ shortlist.

This follows a major case of environmental crime in Londonderry, which came to public attention last month, involving hundreds of thousands of tons of waste being dumped illegally at Mobouy on the outskirts of the city.

The outgoing Minister, who said at Stormont that the scale of the operation at Mobouy “means it involves organized crime”, announced a series of measures aimed at tackling environmental crime throughout Northern Ireland.

First among these measures will be the establishment of a dedicated ‘waste crime task force’, which he says will “co-ordinate and escalate work to address organized waste crime, in a comprehensive, unambiguous manner.”

Mr Attwood also announced that Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has allocated £1.5 million in order to ramp up efforts to stop waste crime, following the uncovering of the industrial scale illegality going on outside Londonderry.

There will be a review, Alex Attwood said, of other locations which may be at risk of these type of crimes, focussing on a ‘top 25’ shortlist.

Water tests will be ongoing at the River Faughan and elsewhere to detect any pollution from the illegal dumping. An ‘expert review’ will also be set up, headed by the former director of the Welsh Environment Agency. Mr Attwood listed the considerable achievements of the Welsh Agency under the stewardship of Chris Mills, who will head up the expert review.

Assessments of potential hazards, including fly infestations or fire risks, will also be ongoing.