An energy company planning to test drill for oil about six miles from some of Ireland’s most sought after real estate has been forced to postpone explorations.

IN a judgment which could have far-reaching implications, the EU has ruled that Ireland had wrongly interpreted the requirements for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for certain planning projects.

CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans for the country’s first toxic waste incinerator have pleaded with the Government not to pursue them for substantial legal costs following what they called a “devastating” court ruling.

IRELAND is facing multi-million euro fines from the European Union from this autumn for a raft of environmental failures such as contaminated water.