An emergency plan has failed to stop toxic dust blowing from an old mine site near Nenagh, Co Tipperary, according to locals who are concerned at the possible health consequences.
North Tipperary County Council was informed of the dust from the 150-acre Mogul of Ireland-owned tailings pond at Gortmore on Friday morning. However, it was late on Saturday before tractors and slurry spreaders were on site to spray water to dampen down the dust.
Locals say swifter action needs to be taken to protect health.
"The pond is now drying out fast again, and we are sitting on a time bomb. If we get a storm here huge quantities of dust could blow from the pond and end up in Nenagh. We would definitely have to leave our homes if a storm blew," said local farmer John Maher yesterday.
Another local resident, Michael Grey, said the emergency plan had failed. "The dust started blowing last Thursday evening, and by the time action was taken it had spread all over the countryside. It took the council and Mogul too long to implement the emergency plan.
"I saw the red dust clouds crossing the main Limerick-Dublin road and fall on to houses and ditches in the area. It is all over the outside of my house and on my car."
Local Labour Senator Kathleen O'Meara said the response by Mogul and the council was too slow.Gortmore Environmental Committee chairman Michael Leamy said locals were terrified of the dust, which has been found to contain traces of lead, cadmium and zinc.
Work on a temporary measure to prevent further blows of toxic dust is expected to start today.
The council's environment engineer Frank O'Halloran said a Mogul representative could not be contacted as he was on leave. However, it had been agreed with the company that contractors would dredge the local Kilmastulla river and spread the material over the bare areas of the pond.
Meanwhile, consultants commissioned to oversee a €10.5 million Government-backed plan to permanently rehabilitate the site and other toxic mine sites in the area are expected to be named by the council this week.
Mr O'Halloran said a plan to spread crushed rock and soil over the tailings pond would be given priority, but work would probably not start until next year.