An illegal dump in north Dublin, that sits right beside houses, is being allowed to grow.
That’s according to residents who say the huge mounds of rubbish between Moatview and Belcamp, near Darndale, are regularly set on fire.
Previous surface testing found asbestos-containing material on the site and locals say they are concerned that other hazardous material could be among the rubbish that has been building for 20 years.
Work on clearing the 40,000 tonnes of waste from the council land is expected to start later this year despite Dublin city council saying urgent action was needed in 2020.
Residents living right beside an illegal #dump near Darndale in north Dublin say it’s been allowed to grow for 20 years. Dublin City council said clearing the waste was an urgent priority in 2020 but the giant piles of rubbish have only got bigger. pic.twitter.com/v6I99q1LHk
— Emma Tyrrell (@EmmaTyrrellNews) March 13, 2024
The local authority also plans to build a wall around the plot once it has been cleared to prevent dumping from starting again. The work is expected to cost around €10 million.
Locals say the landfill has been getting bigger and closer to their homes over the last 20 years;
"It's causing rats, you have rats, I've rats in my attic. You can them when you're in bed at night you can hear the rats running through the attics.
The rats are coming from the field. Even as far as the kids, one of the neighbour's dogs had died from wheels disease just there at Christmas time.
And me sister, the rats actually eat through the sewerage pipes in the background, so there's a big hole."
