NWRWMG doesn’thave opinion on NIEA Mobuoy claim

An umbrella body set up to coordinate waste management from seven councils from Moyle to Strabane says it has no opinion on letters sent by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in June 2013 in which the state agency said it believed Council rubbish from Coleraine and Magherafelt was buried in a massive illegal waste dump in Mobuoy.

Warning letters were sent to both Councils on the same day that former Environment Minister Alex Attwood revealed he had revoked the licence of the City Waste waste management facility in Gorticross as part of an investigation into what he described as “immense and appalling” unlawful waste activity.

Both Councils have stated there is no evidence their waste ended up in the dump.

Now the North West Regional Management Group (NWRWMG) has stated: “The NWRWMG derives its role from its member councils who are the competent bodies for the disposal and management of waste.

“The NWRWMG does not have the role or authority to instruct councils on their business. Queries regarding these matters should be addressed directly to each member council.”

The Sentinel asked if the NWRWMG had any opinion on letters sent by the NIEA claiming municipal waste was found in the dump.

It responded: “The NWRWMG cannot comment on matters over, which it has no remit.”