Abandoned sludge tanks showarmagh fuel racket is still going on
THIS is the picture which suggests the fuel laundering industry is continuing in south Armagh as the area emerges out of lockdown.
Three pods of highly dangerous sludge were discovered at a local beauty spot.
Those responsible for dumping the toxic waste, a by-product of illegal fuel laundering, have been branded reckless and irresponsible.
The waste was left in a lay-by close to a waterway along the Upper Darkley Road, five miles from the south Armagh village of Newtownhamilton.
Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church is nearby and the area is busy with passing motorists.
It is the first such incident for several months, but local SDLP councillor Thomas O’hanlon said it is a warning that there are still criminal elements operating with a complete disregard for safety.
“We thought things like this were in the past but it seem like they haven’t gone away at all,” he said.
“It’s disgusting. The people who live around here are angry that someone would have such a disregard for their safety and for the local environment and would just abandon their waste like this.
“This is a rural area where many people live off the land.
“This waste is highly dangerous and has been left close to a local waterway and the consequences would have been disastrous for the environment had any of it got into the system and polluted the water.
“It always seems to happen at a local beauty spot, where people will be passing by and stopping off at.
“Not only is what these people are doing illegal, it’s costing ratepayers to remove the harmful substances safely so no further harm is done.” HMRC said that while the number of incidents of fuel laundering have been greatly reduced, the practice still poses a serious risk to public safety.
“HMRC targets fuel laundering as part of its comprehensive and dynamic anti-fraud oils strategy that has driven down the Northern Ireland diesel illicit market share from an estimated 19% in 2005/06 to 6% in 2018/19,” a spokesperson for HMRC said.
They said fuel laundering damages the local economy and environment.
“While we are aware that rebated, laundered or smuggled fuel continues to be supplied by informal and unregulated fuel sites in Northern Ireland, we believe this to currently be at a reduced level,” the spokesperson said.
He continued: “Fuel launderers have always posed a serious risk to the public, by building illicit fuel sites, abandoning harmful waste and transporting fuel in vehicles that are unfit for purpose and unsafe.
“Given that laundering plants have been found adjacent to homes and retail sites in the past we would urge anyone with information about this extremely dangerous activity to report it urgently to HMRC online or contact our Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.”
Mr O’hanlon urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
“This hasn’t happened in a while so let’s hope this isn’t the start of operations picking up again,” he said.
“The fact that these containers have been dumped in this way proves that criminal elements are still in operation in this area and we must do everything we can to ensure the practice is stopped.”