Councils use roadblocks in illegal dumping crackdown

Gardaí and officials from five county councils in the midlands operated roadblocks yesterday in a further crackdown on illegal dumping.

The county councils involved were Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly and Tipperary North.

The councils said the action was taken because of significant suspicions that many illegal sites are still operating in the area. Gardaí and council officials stopped lorries and checked waste permits and other paperwork as well as quizzing drivers about the origin and destination of their cargos.

According to the Department of Environment, there is considerable evidence to suggest that illegal dumps are still in operation, accepting a variety of waste from builders' rubble to domestic refuse. This is despite warnings by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche that operators of illegal dumps and rogue hauliers will be severely treated.

Already this year finds have ranged from 700 fridges in the centre of Dublin to hundreds of tyres dumped in a lane in Co Monaghan.

The Garda Press Office was unable to say last night if any arrests had taken place or if any files would be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions.