Councillors unite in their condemnation of an illegal bonfire dumping ground in Stoneyford
Rubbish is being dumped at an illegal Eleventh Night bonfire site as new figures show how previous clean-ups at the former Northern Ireland Water reservoir have cost more than £60,000 in just five years.
Councillors in the Soneyford area have united in their opposition to the eye-sore event that has been ongoing for 15 years.
The bonfire has been branded a “toxic” hazard which the “vast majority” of people in the Co Antrim village are against.
Clean-up costs at the NIW site can now be revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) following a decision by the Information Commissioner’s Office to force the company to release the figures.
Significantly, the highest amount of £47,000 was paid out by NIW in the only year it cleared the site ahead of the collected material being set alight for the July 11th night. This was said to be largely due to the disposal of tyres by a specialist contractor.
Clean-up costs over the last five years were: *2020-21 £4,260 *2021-22 £3,173 *2022-23 £1,400 *2023-24 £47,600 *2024-25 £4,000 Total £60,433 Reacting to the latest development at the site, Alderman James Tinsley said: “I support bonfires, which are part of the culture around the 11th and 12th. The reason I am against the Stoneyford bonfire, is because it is just a dump, no organisation takes responsibility to run it and the community does not want it.
“Despite the sign (Leave Wood Only) at the gate, you get everything from wood, to tyres to even baths and everything in between. It becomes a free dumping ground for anyone and everybody with no one taking any control of it. “There is no pride or culture at all involved. If this was being done by proper bonfire builders you could have communication and dialogue with them to work with the community so that everyone can have a successful and enjoyable cultural event.
“NIW ultimately has the responsibility for the site. No one should succumb to threats or intimidation.
"The vast majority of people in the Stoneyford area are against this and those responsible need to listen.
“Stoneyford is a diverse community and those trying to create division will not succeed.”
In 2024, the LDRS was provided with a NIW letter sent to a resident, which outlines how in “previous years, efforts to remove material and monitor activity was met with threats of violence against our staff, which makes it difficult for us to take any meaningful action”.
In an update, an NI Water spokesperson said this week: “NI Water, with the help of PSNI and other agencies, is monitoring this site on a regular basis, and we are exploring options in an effort to resolve the situation. No further threats have been reported to us."
The LDRS asked the PSNI if the police had investigated any recent threats made at the Stoneyford site.
A spokesperson said: “No statements of complaint have been received by the Police Service in relation to Stoneyford Reservoir in the time frame provided (since 2023/24), and as such no arrests have been made nor persons prosecuted.
“Engagement with NI Water, other partner agencies and local residents is ongoing. The decision whether to put any preventative measures in place at the site is for the landowner.”