Lisburn man given conditional discharge for waste offences

A Co Antrim man was today given a conditional discharge for two years plus £22 costs at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Brian McArt, age 58, a digger driver from Rusheyhill Road Lisburn, pleaded guilty to three waste offences. He was also required to pay £1,060 to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) for loss of revenue as he had failed to obtain a waste management authorisation for the site.

On the 7 December 2007, officers of the NIEA, (formerly the Envvironment and Heritage Service), visited lands at Rusheyhill Road, Lisburn, in response to complaints of unauthorised waste disposal.

The officers observed an area of land which had been infilled with controlled waste consisting of concrete, bricks, clay, tar and stones with smaller quantities of wood, plastics and metals.

On the 31 January 2008, officers revisited the site where it was evident that further construction and demolition waste had been deposited on the site. The waste on site was infilled on sloping ground towards the edge of a river.

Approximately 1,000 tonnes of waste has been deposited in this unauthorised site and would have cost approximately £4,000 to dispose of at a licensed site.

Notes to editors:

1. Mr McArt pleaded guilty to three offences under the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997as follows:

Article 4(1) b - one offence on 7 December 2007, keeping controlled waste in or on land unless a waste management licence authorising the deposit is in force and the deposit in accordance with the licence;

Article 4(1) a - one offence between 7 December 2007 and 31 January 2008, depositing of controlled waste in or on land unless a waste management licence authorising the deposit is in force and the deposit is in accordance with the licence; and

Article 4(1) b - one offence between 7 December 2007 and 31 January 2008, keeping controlled waste in or on land unless a waste management licence authorising the deposit is in force and the deposit in accordance with the licence.

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