GREENS ACCUSE COUNCIL OF NOT TAKING ACTION AT KILLEGAR DUMP ENNISKERRY

According to Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, the council issued a Section 55 notice to Landfill Management Ltd, the company which is responsible for the Killegar Dump, on 28th December 2001. "The council issued the Section 55 notice on the basis that this company was in breach of its planning permission and had been accepting waste into the dump for which it was not authorised" says de Burca."Wicklow County Council included an aftercare works schedule with the Section 55 notice and tables for monitoring leachate, water etc. Landfill Mnagement has not complied with this notice and the council has taken no action despite the fact that the penalty for being in breach of a Section 55 notice is a fine of up to 10,000 euros, or a ten year jail sentence, or both. There are very serious questions that need to be answered by the council" she adds.

Councillor de Burca reports that a number of her constituents met with Wicklow County Council officials in March 2000 regarding the Killegar Dump and were advised to keep a record of each incident of foul odours from the dump being detected by them from their home."These constituents submitted this report on January 5th 2003 and reported 92 separate occasions since last March when the stench of the seeping gases produced by tons of illegally deposited waste at Killegar Dump disturbed them in their homes" she says. Clearly local residents have done what they were asked to by the council but unfortunately the same cannot be said of Landfill Management".

Councillor de Burca is calling on Wicklow County Council to take immediate action with regard to Landfill Management and to consider taking legal action if the comapny does not comply with the terms of the Section 55 notice within the 28 day period allowed."The council is losing all credibility with regard to the enforcement notices it issues" says de Burca. "There is no point in issuing notices and then failing to act if the notice is not complied with. The public has a right to feel very concerned about large landfills in the county being run by private companies if the council continues to show an unwillingness to regulate these companies properly" she says.

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.