Sources have indicated that once these carriers have paid the landowner an estimated £200 for the disposal of the waste and for the transport of the rubbish, the practice of carrying a 20 tonne load cross-Border can be a lucrative one.

    This transfrontier trade in waste disposal has emerged as efforts are made to evade charges for waste disposal south of the border.

    An estimated 10 illegal sites exist in Fermanagh. A site is known to be in the Garrison area and other sites have been examined in the Derrylin area. A site in Killadeas is being investigated as is another on the Clones to Aghadrumsee road.

    It’s not only a problem for this county. There is evidence that illegal sites have emerged in Cookstown, Garvagh and the Newry and Mourne areas, sources indicate.

    The environmental consequences of these illegal landfill sites can be disastrous. Burning of waste can take place to reduce the bulk. Even builders’ waste can be dangerous. Old timber window frames could be covered with lead-based paint, releasing toxins into the air. Buried rubbish can result in leachate which could end up in the water table.

    Mr. Declan Allison, Campaigner for Friends of the Earth, explained: “Technical engineering is required for landfill sites. Unless these are properly engineered and maintained, you have absolutely no idea what is leaching down into the ground”.

    People involved in this activity are taking a risk with more than the environment. Working on the principle that the polluter pays, if landowners were forced to clean up a site it could cost in excess of a £100,000.

    An operator dealing with waste disposal would need to get a number of documents from a range of bodies before legally disposing of waste.

    Fermanagh District Council, as the local authority, is involved in the licensing of waste disposal sites at present. That function is soon to move to the Department of the Environment.

    The planning authorities are also involved as a disposal site needs planning permission. The Department of the Environment deals with the transfer of waste, issuing a carrier’s licence.

    There are loopholes in the system that can be exploited. The landowner can say that the waste is being dumped without their knowledge and the onus is on the enforcing body such as the Council to prove otherwise.

    There are also restrictions on powers of entry. If officers are refused entry to search an area, they have to leave. They may only return provided they have given written notice. This could give an operator of a site time to cover their tracks.

    Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, Chairman of the Clones-Erne East Partnership, met with other concerned members of the partnership yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss an illegal dump on the Fermanagh side of the Border.

    “It is happening in quite a few areas, right across the six counties and we are particularly focusing on one here outside Clones on the Fermanagh side between Clones and Rosslea. It is hundreds of tonnes coming up during the night from as far south as Waterford,” he said.

    “The waste comes during the night and it is covered up before light. It is very, very difficult to ascertain what exactly has been dumped. There is a concern that some is hospital waste. It is coming in in the middle of the night and it is very hard to know what is coming in, particularly when they are waiting with a bulldozer and cover it over with clay. No matter what it is, it is waste put into a landfill site with potential to get into the water table. That is a really major concern,” he said.

    “From reports it is a fairly lucrative pastime for some of these people, but they do not realise what is actually being dumped into landfill sites and what could be disastrous consequences five, 10, 15 years down the line.

    He said there was concern that the Environment and Heritage Service did not have a proper strategy to deal with the problem. “They talk about trying to stop lorries coming across the border. That is impossible. There are many, many roads crossing the Border. This needs to be dealt with at source, not when the lorries are coming in the middle of the night,” he said.

    The four party leaders from Fermanagh District Council, and the Council Chairman, Councillor Harold Andrews, met with Ms. Pamela Patterson from the Environmental and Heritage Service recently to discuss the problem. One of the councillors, Mr. Brian McCaffrey, said that it was revealed at the meeting that it is only licensed sites being examined by the authorities. “One of the Customs and Excise duties is to collect landfill tax. I assumed that if people were evading landfill tax they would be active on that front. If you are laundering diesel and defrauding the VAT people, they come down on you like a tonne of bricks,” he said.