Polluted island clean-up not until autumn

IT will be at least autumn before the Cabinet receives plans to make safe the heavily-polluted former Irish Steel site at Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour

And it is unclear whether the Department of Finance will sanction a major clean-up operation which could run into hundreds of millions of euro.

Environment Minister John Gormley will outline the options to ensure that toxic waste buried on the former Irish Steel site does not pose a threat to the environment or human health.

Yesterday it emerged that contractors working on the island refused to stop removing potentially-deadly toxic material even after the Chief State Solicitor assured the company it would not be held liable for any legal action that might arise.

Hammond Lane Metal Company Ltd uncovered waste after clearing the site and refused to leave the area claiming it could be exposed to liability for leaving the waste untreated.

The Department of the Environment, which has responsibility for the site, wrote to the company in April saying that the waste should be capped until a detailed plan was agreed and assured the company it would not be liable.

Department sources said that despite these reassurances and "repeated" instructions to stop works -- including correspondence from the Chief State Solicitor in May -- the contractor, which had been paid up to €30m to clear surface material, refused to leave and continued to operate without authorisation.

Terminated

The contact was terminated on May 30 and workers were ordered to leave the site.

Yesterday it also emerged that Stephen Griffin, an environmental consultant who has accused the Government of "covering up" the extent of pollution on the Cork Harbour site, has been ordered not to release any documentation on work he carried out for the department in relation to the polluted island.

Mr Griffin said last night that lawyers for the State ordered him not to release any documentation, but said he would make public any information he held concerning health and safety issues or the environment.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said that everything published about the extent of pollution on the island had been accurate. He understood that he was not to release any information concerning his work."I've been told to shut up but I just can't.''

Paul Melia

Irish Independent

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