Condemnation after flytippers dump hazardous items in estate

Condemnation after flytippers dump hazardous items in estate

7 November 2018

A COMMUNITY effort is being credited with ensuring tyres were not burnt on a Halloween bonfire at one of Downpatrick’s largest estates last week.

Members of the Model Farm Community Association joined forces with the Housing Executive and Newry, Mourne and Down Council to ensure tyres and other material did not form the core of the annual bonfire.

Lorries were used to transport the tyres and other hazardous material away from the area with community officials and Downpatrick councillor Cadogan Enright grateful for the support they received.

The community group’s chairwoman, Kyla Hannaway, says the organisation has created a stronger, united sprit in the area and no one wants “dirty dumpers”.

She said anyone who dumped any waste material at the Model Farm would be reported to the authorities.

“We spent many weekends over the summer months cleaning up the Model Farm and nearby areas and will not accept fly-tippers operating on a commercial scale around our estates,” she added.

Cllr Enright said the burning of tyres at the Model Farm and nearby Flying Horse estate was prevented by co-ordinated work between local community activists and several government agencies last week.

“Over the past few years, unscrupulous individuals or firms have dumped tyres and other commercial waste in the area believing it would be burnt by children, thereby escaping fees associated with the correct disposal of the waste,” he explained.

Cllr Enright — who organised the initiative to remove tyres and other material – said burning of such waste “created horrendous fumes for residents in the area”.

He continued: “While dumping occurred again this year, I was able to intervene with local youngsters and divert them to the festivities in the town centre being run by Downpatrick’s Community Collective so the material was not set on fire.

“I would like to thank the PSNI for its proactive work this year which prevented the tyres from being burnt before they could be removed.”

“We still have not sorted out the need for a single team jointly working for all the agencies being available over the Halloween period. Each agency mobilises its own teams for its own land which is complicated for someone on the ground like me.

“I have to work out which bit of land is owned by seven different agencies in the area and then try to track down the manager concerned to get it dealt with.”

Cllr Enright believed some of the material was transported in a white coloured Vauxhall Insignia car.

He added: “I am offering a £50 reward for anyone who can help me identify this vehicle and fill out a statement for environmental enforcement officers to issue proceedings which could lead to a  prosecution.”