A lorry containing almost 40,000 litres of fuel laundering waste which was abandoned along the N1 near Junction 20 Jonesborough/Carrickarnon yesterday
The Department of the Environment have admitted they are “concerned” by weekend media reports which suggest that the drinking water supply to Dundalk might be contaminated.
The statement, made by Minister of State Paudie Coffey on behalf of Minister Alan Kelly, comes following an article in The Sunday Independent which alleged that the town’s water supply was being poisoned by IRA fuel launderers, who were dumping cancer causing toxins into Lough Muckno, Lough Ross and the River Fane.
While the matter was debated at length by Louth County Council on Monday, it was also raised in the Dáil by local TDs Fergus O’Dowd and Seamus Kirk as well as Cavan/Monaghan-based deputies Sean Conlon and Brendan Smith.
In a reply to the TDs, Minister Coffey said: “I am taking this on behalf of Minister Alan Kelly, and like other Deputies I am concerned about media reports regarding an alleged pollution discharge.”
He said he was aware that Louth County Council were investigating the matter in conjunction with the Water Pollution Inspectorate in Northern Ireland before warning that anyone who was found guilty of polluting waters could be fined up to €15m, receive up to five years in prison on both.
He revealed that diesel laundering waste dumping had led to 596 clean-up operations in Louth since 2008, at a cost of approximately €4.8 million to the State.
Minister Coffey said talks were ongoing with the relevant authorities in Northern Ireland to “develop a mechanism for dealing with waste from cross-border diesel washings.”
He said it was important that there was full cross border support in stamping out the problem and added that Minister Kelly would be writing to Minister Mark Durkan in the north to highlight the problems being faced by border counties exposed to the consequences of what he described as “environmental crime”.
Meanwhile, Louth TD Gerry Adams has condemned the discovery of 40,000 litres of fuel sludge on the N1 north of Dundalk yesterday and said: “The only effective means of closing down this illegal activity is to end the differential between agricultural and non-agricultural diesel. The government needs to introduce in its place a system where farmers can reclaim a rebate on their fuel costs based on vouched expenditure”.
The Sinn Féin leader has also accused some Louth politicians of making irresponsible claims that drinking water has been polluted.
He said: “This assertion – especially given the assurances by the Director of Services in Louth County Council that the drinking water is safe can only serve to undermine the efforts of the Council to promote tourism and business in Dundalk and its hinterland and to undermine public confidence.”
Deputy Adams also accused the gangs involved in diesel laundering of “causing serious environmental and health problems, putting at risk legitimate business and jobs, as well as imposing significant financial costs on local councils and the tax payer.”
Talk of the Town 