Probe into illegal disposal of council asbestos pipes

An independent investigation has been launched to find out who illegally disposed of asbestos pipes belonging to Clare County Council.

The pipes were dumped at nine different locations in the county.

The local authority confirmed yesterday it has commissioned an “external independent investigation” into how asbestos cement water mains, which were replaced over a number of years, were dumped at six sites near Kilkee and three sites around Kilrush. The operation to remove the asbestos could prove costly, as engineers believe that while some was left on the surface, a lot more could be buried.