Derry City Council’s Environmental Services Committee is to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the secret dumping of radioactive waste on its landfill site over 30 years ago.
Culmore Point.
The State papers show that between 1977 and 1982 radioactive material was disposed at the council’s landfill site at Culmore adjacent to the River Foyle just outside the city as well at a site in Duncrue Street in north Belfast.
The papers reveal controlled burials of radioactive waste came from hospital and university sources.
The revelations have angered local people who have expressed concerns about their health.
Local councillors, Sinn Fein’s Tony Hassan and the SDLP’s Angela Dobbins, who both called for today’s meeting, said residents were “extremely angry” and they wanted answers “immediately” on the implications of the dumping,
Environment Minister Mark Durkan has ordered the Environmental Agency to carry out an investigation into the revelations.
He said the revelations had “come as a surprise” to him.
Mr Durkan said it may be more than 30 years since the radioactive material was dumped, but questions remained over why members of the public – and specifically those council workers employed at these sites at the time – were never informed about the dumping of these hazardous materials.
Tags:
