A 34-year-old Co. Down man has today (June 2) been fined in court for offences relating to the illegal dumping of 5,500t waste on land without a licence. The waste included a mixture of construction and demolition rubble, poultry manure and mushroom compost.

Kieran Downey of Railway Road, Newry, was fined £2,000 at Newry Crown Court for breaches of waste management legislation, and ordered to pay costs of £506.40.

Officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) found that the defendant had knowingly permitted controlled waste to be deposited on land which did not have a waste management licence, between June 5, 2013, and April 29, 2016. Downey was also deemed to have kept controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health. He pleaded guilty to both charges. The site did not have a licence, and Downey was not authorised by the NIEA to deposit or keep controlled waste.
COURTS DAERA