Road firm used Haulbowline material

A LEADING road building company confirmed last night that it used material from the toxic Haulbowline site for several projects in Cork.

However, Colas, the French company that owns Naas-based Road Maintenance Services (RMS) Ltd, which in turn has an office in Mallow, said the material from the former steel works site in Cork harbour was not contaminated.

Colas spokesman Liam Talbott confirmed its subsidiary, RMS, purchased a quantity of “chip” from the site between 1999 and 2001 when Irish Ispat was operating the steel plant. Ispat went into liquidation in 2001. The raw material for the glass-like chips was a byproduct of the steel-making process.

Mr Talbott said it was processed in an on-site recycling facility, crushed, screened and washed before being sold to RMS. The company then drew the material from the site and used it to surface-dress several road projects around the county, he said.

Fears were raised in the Dáil by Labour TD Ciarán Lynch on Tuesday night that potentially contaminated slag material might have been removed from the site without licence and used to build roads.

Using Dáil privilege, he named RMS and another Colas subsidiary, Road Binders Ltd, which also has offices in Mallow.

But Mr Talbott said Road Binders had no connection whatsoever to the Haulbowline site. He said company officials are examining internal records to establish exactly how much material RMS purchased from Ispat.

It is understood Colas will pass details of its investigation on to Cork County Council, which is conducting its own investigation to establish whether material was drawn from the site.

Mr Lynch said the Colas admission means the overall investigation into the Haulbowline site should be widened.

The council confirmed on Monday that no licences or permits from the removal of any substance from the site have been granted since it, along with the Department of the Environment, took over the site from the liquidators in 2005.

Environment Minister John Gormley admitted to the Dáil on Tuesday that anecdotal evidence suggests inert slag material was removed from the site and used for roads while the steelworks was in commercial operation, and possibly also during the period when the liquidator owned the site.

But he said his department has no records of any materials being taken from the site since it took custody of the area in 2003.

Mr Gormley assured the Dáil that consultants White Young Green would carry out “an independent and rigorous assessment of site conditions following the extensive unauthorised works by the subcontractors”.

He said the firm has the full benefit of the advice of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Marine Institute and the Health and Safety Authority in assessing the quality of surface water, marine sediment and mussel bivalves near Haulbowline Island, in assessing any health or environmental risks that may be posed by the recent works on the east tip, and in monitoring ambient air. Local TDs from Cork will meet with Mr Gormley to discuss the issue today.