Main pic: A small portion of the waste at the illegal dump before it was buried and hidden from view.
Enforcement action is still ‘ongoing’ against a number of individuals alleged to be behind one of the biggest ever illegal dumps discovered in Donegal.
The complex legal case is being taken by Donegal County Council in relation to the discovery, five years ago, of tens of thousands of tonnes of waste on privately owned land between Stranorlar and Killygordon.
The massive unauthorised refuse dump was discovered at Cavan Lower in September 2018, however, it is believed to have been in operation for at least tens years before that.
The council is remaining tight lipped about the investigation.
Following a number of queries by Donegal Daily, however, the local authority finally released a statement saying the investigation was ‘ongoing’. It was similar to the response issued to us in May 2022.
“Donegal County Council cannot comment specifically on any site on which investigations are underway,” a spokesperson said.
“However, Donegal County Council can confirm that a site at Cavan Lower is subject to ongoing investigation and enforcement proceedings.”
The mostly household waste is no longer visible at the site as it has been buried. However, serious environmental damage is understood to have been done as the site is close to a tributary of the nearby River Finn.
The waste was taken to the site by lorries, under the cover of darkness, before being buried and covered over by a local man operating a digger.
Tags: