Anger after fuel launderers dump toxic waste at border
FUEL launderers have been blamed after thousands of litres of toxic waste were dumped near the border.
Shocking images show four upturned metal containers beside pools of sludge just south of the border on the Old Dublin Road in Co Louth.
It provides further evidence of ongoing fuel laundering and the callous disregard the criminals behind it have for local residents on both sides of the border.
A photographer for New Ray Pics, which captured the images, said that four 1,000-litre cubes of “deadly poisonous lethal toxic diesel waste” had been dumped under the cover of darkness, just 500 yards from the Carrickdale Hotel.
“The launderers showed their complete contempt for human life by leaving the lids off two of the upturned containers, allowing almost 2,000 litres of toxic sludge to flow onto the road and into drains,” they said.
The photographer also expressed concern that the toxic waste contained chemicals which are particularly dangerous to people.
In September three men were arrested after a suspected fuel laundering plant was discovered in south Armagh as part of a major HMRC investigation.
The plant was dismantled along with a total of 22,500 litres in suspected fuel being seized by investigators.
More than 50 HMRC officers were supported in the operation by the PSNI and North Wales Police.
It was reported the suspected plant could produce 20 million litres a year at a loss of around £11m in tax revenue.
Tracey Noon, assistant director for the HMRC’s fraud investigation service, urged anyone with information on the “dangerous activity” to contact its fraud hotline on 0800 788 887.