Waste plant shut down between Drumahoe and Maydown as part of major major clampdown

The licence granted to the operator of a major waste facility in the North West has been revoked following an unprecedented investigation into allegations of large scale criminal offending involving the disposal of waste.

The Minister and the Department of the Environment (DoE) have used their powers to revoke the licence and ‘stop in its tracks’ any further operation at the site.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: “My Department has decisively moved against unlawful waste activity in Northern Ireland. Following receipt of intelligence last year I instructed the environmental police within my Department - the Environmental Crime Unit - to undertake a full scale investigation (known as Operation Sycamore) into activities at the Derry site.

“This has been painstaking work with the aim of maximising the chances of dealing a big blow to serious criminality and a big blow to environmental vandalism.

“The scale of the unlawful waste activity is immense and appalling and dates back at least until 2009. It is sophisticated in its deception. Material was mangled and shredded to hide its original sourcing, with illegal landfills being topfilled with soil and clay to deceive and hide illegal waste.

“Not just tens but some hundreds of thousands of tons of waste have been illegally deposited in a number of areas of land in the Mobuoy area, just outside Derry.”

Operation Sycamore has already resulted in the arrest of two individuals in connection with alleged offences and further arrests are expected as the operation continues.

A number of individuals, businesses and land folios are the subject of the investigation.

Once the waste management facility has ceased to operate (which it is required to do from the close of operations on Wednesday, June 5) it is then required over a period of two months to deliver all waste remaining to a legal landfill site for disposal.

Other notices have been served on the landowners of land used for the disposal of waste requiring them to take action to prevent environmental damage by removing polluting liquid from the waste for disposal elsewhere.

Mr Attwood continued: “In recent weeks, even in the Assembly yesterday (Tuesday, June 4), I have been speaking of the threat of organised criminality on the island.

“The volume of fuel laundering in recent times and the volume of unlawful disposal of waste demonstrated today has been the reason. The message of today is crystal clear.

“The Department of the Environment stated that businesses and those responsible for managing waste have a legal responsibility to make sure their waste is managed legally - an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude to waste management is bad business practice, harmful to our environment and could result in hefty penalties in Court.

“As with all illegal activity and to help combat any future harm to the environment, we would appeal for people to come forward and provide any information they may have to the NIEA to help us to stop this illegality.”

Further notices have been served on certain operators requiring them to take action to prevent further damage (that is to say damage which is environmental damage or damage where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the damage is or will become environmental damage) under the Environmental Liability (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations (NI) 2009.

These notices require action to be taken to prevent environmental damage and also to carry out works to remove and remediate the sites.

The investigation is continuing and will result in the submission of a prosecution case file to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

The NIEA Environmental Crime Unit has requested that anyone with information about suspicious movements of waste in the North West (either in the past or currently) to report what they know to NIEA, the police of anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800555111.

The Minister believes that the scale of the disclosure requires fundamental intervention by government and others. As a result he has taken a series of further measures.

Firstly, the creation of a Waste Crime Taskforce to co-ordinate and escalate work to address organised waste crime, in a comprehensive, unambiguous manner.

Secondly, further support for the ECU in continuing to develop evidence against all involved in the criminality in this case and in other cases.

Thirdly, the former Chief executive of the Welsh Environmental Agency is to undertake an immediate review of the operation of the DoE Waste Unit to identify if the waste unit fulfilled their responsibility on this site and their responsibility generally.

Fourthly, an immediate review of other waste sites in Northern Ireland, concentrating on a ‘Top 25’ of locations where risk may exist.

Fifthly, an immediate review and communication with Councils and other businesses which used the Londonderry site, to ensure Councils activated their waste collection arrangements and critically to require Councils to provide proof of the waste trail in relation to Council collected waste.

Sixthly, intensive assessment of ground water, water course and river water quality to determine any water quality impact arising from the illegal waste sites.

Mr Attwood continued: “Today may indicate the scale of waste crime and the threat it poses - in environmental damage, illegality, criminality and loss of revenue to the state.

“Today puts waste crime front and centre in relation to criminality in Northern Ireland.

“It requires a comprehensive response. This is why I have spoken with the Justice Minister and senior PSNI in recent times to press home the need for the fullest, comprehensive, co-ordinated and decisive response to the threat. That is a further urgent element of work that I have said we need to take forward together.

“Our children more than any generation, have environmental and green beliefs and credentials.

“This calls on all of us of other generations to ensure this threat of environmental crime and vandalism is, once and for all, dealt with.”

“The scale of this is clearly well organised - the scale of this means it involves organised crime. Where I find proper grounds to move against any waste operators who may be involved.”