Photos may test council's claim on illegal dump

Photographic evidence that Wicklow County Council itself carried out illegal dumping at Roadstone's lands near Blessington could severely test the council's assertion that it knew nothing about significant illegal dumping.

Last October the council said it had no evidence of widespread dumping on the lands, at Dillonsdown. Now, however, as five finds of illegally dumped waste have been confirmed there - one of them in sight of the council's offices in Blessington village - it appears that photographs exist which show the council was one of the operators which dumped there.

Well-placed sources have told The Irish Times that such photographic evidence exists and may be used by Roadstone in defence of any prosecution against the company initiated by the council. Sources said the company had made this clear to the council.

Roadstone has consistently said that waste dumped at Dillonsdown was placed on its land without its knowledge or consent. A spokeswoman said yesterday that it would be inappropriate to comment further while the council was continuing its investigation.

A spokesman for the council said that any such photographs might refer to small amounts of road sweepings or inert materials, which it had already admitted it dumped at Dillonsdown. He said the question of whether this had been raised by Roadstone would have to be addressed to the county manager, who was unavailable.

So far the council's investigations have uncovered an estimated 500,000 tonnes of waste, mainly in the Whitestown area near Baltinglass in west Wicklow. But last year the council's director of environmental services, Mr Michael Nicholson, said the "biggest amount yet" of illegal rubbish was allegedly dumped in the Roadstone pit at Dillonsdown.

Shortly afterwards the council appeared to row back from that assertion and described the suggestions as "rumours". The county manager, Mr Eddie Sheehy, said the council had no evidence of any widespread dumping there.

However, in light of recent finds, a number of people - among them TDs, councillors and local residents - have repeated assertions that they reported illegal dumping both in Whitestown and Blessington to the council as long as five years ago.

The Wicklow Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State, Mr Dick Roche, also claimed he raised the issue at a public meeting in Baltinglass a number of years ago.A Labour Party councillor for West Wicklow, Mr Tommy Cullen, also said he had been complaining about illegal dumping for years.

In 1998 the Bailey family, who live close to the illegal dump at Whitestown, wrote to the council with details of lorries dumping illegally, but no action was taken.

When the parallel Garda investigation sought copies of the letter from the Bailey family last year, gardaí were told by the council that the file had been misplaced.

The Labour Party TD, Ms Liz McManus, also wrote to the council protesting at the handling of the affair and yesterday she said she still felt nothing had been done.

She and Labour members of the Oireachtas have secured the agreement of the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment to invite Roadstone and the council to give evidence before the committee next Wednesday.