Wicklow County Council to discuss illegal dumping

Wicklow County Council is to convene today to discuss the increasing incidences of illegal dumping in the scenic county.

Initial investigations into the illegal dumping of hazardous medical waste in two sites in Baltinglass and Blessington have led to the discovery of more such sites.

Legal proceedings have reportedly been initiated against a company accused of dumping some of the waste and forensic examinations will be used to bring prosecutions against anybody else suspected of involvement.

Most of the waste in the illegal dumps apparently came from hospitals in the east of the country.

Among the items dumped were bloodied bandages, tubing which had been used in operations, human flesh and patients’ private medical records.

The two dumps initially discovered were at Cloonamadra, near Donard, and at Whitestown Quarry.

The locations of the other sites, four in total, have not been revealed, but sources said they contain a "significant" quantity of medical waste.