Organised gangs clean up in illegal landfills

ORGANISED criminal gangs, possibly with paramilitary connections, are involved in the large-scale and lucrative business of transporting waste from the Republic and illegally dumping it over the Border, authorities in the North believe.

Anne Blacker, a principal scientific officer with the North’s Environment and Heritage Service, said of alleged criminal and paramilitary involvement: “It’s something we have been aware of informally.”

A lack of landfill sites, high charges and a crackdown on illegal dumping here has led to the growth in cross border waste smuggling in recent months.