State must clean up act or face seven-figure fine

THE Government will face fines of several million euro if it does not clean up its act after being found guilty yesterday of failing to tackle illegal dumping and breaking EU waste directives.

The European Court of Justice found Ireland had failed to deal with waste in a way that protects health and the environment - almost 30 years after signing an EU waste management directive.

The landmark case taken by the European Commission found the State had tolerated unauthorised landfills for a long period, with no attempt to end them.