DONEGAL County Council is carrying out an investigation at the Cassidy Bros quarry in Buncrana.
The enforcement case is believed to involve officers from the Council’s Waste Enforcement and Planning Enforcement sections.
Donegal Daily put some queries to the local authority on the matter.
“The council has an open and ongoing investigation at this site and as such it would not be appropriate to comment further on the case at this time,” a Donegal County Council spokesperson said.
The matter raised its head briefly at Tuesday’s meeting of the Inishowen Municipal District.
Councillor Terry Crossan asked a question and Killian Smith, an executive planner with the Council, said that the authority’s planner for quarries, Martin McDermott, was dealing with an enforcement.
In December 2019 Donegal County Council granted permission for the continuation of quarrying activity for a 25-year period.
The permission covered ‘the extraction of rock by blasting and rock breaking means from an area of 11.3 hectares (within 17.8 hectare area); processing of rock using fixed and mobile plant and washing of material; continuation of use of the existing workshop, office, canteen, toilet facilities, weighbridge, wheelwash, settlement lagoons and all other ancillary facilities, construction of refuelling area and attenuation and settlement lagoons; landscaping and restoration of the site and all associated ancillary facilities / works.’
In granting permission, Donegal County Council laid down 23 conditions to the company.
Included among these conditions were that all ‘oils or chemicals stored with the site shall be stored within bunded areas and such such substances shall not be discharged or allowed to discharge into surface or ground waters on site. Oil interception traps shall be provided on drainage lines serving areas where oil products are stored or used.’
The conditions directed that all vehicles carrying rock, stone or gravel from the quarry shall pass through existing on-site vehicle wheel wash and water sprinkling system.
Last week, Cassidy Bros announced that they would be closing to the public with a number of temporary lay-offs confirmed by the company.
A statement said: “The company, its employees and customers have been increasingly subjected to negative comments in recent weeks, resulting in a significant downturn in sales and a substantial reduction in production requirements.
“In light of these developments, Cassidy Bros has been reluctantly forced to take this unavoidable action. We would like to thank our loyal staff for their hard work and dedication over the many years.”