Department denies it covered up scale of site contamination

THE Department of the Environment last night said any suggestions of a “cover-up” of the scale of the contamination at the Irish Steel site were “entirely false”.

In a statement, the department said it had acted on best expert advice when deciding how to deal with the waste at the site.

The department said it had hired Hammond Lane Metal Company Ltd to carry out a “surface clearance” of the site and its waste tip.