The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has acted swiftly to prevent dumped fuel laundering waste in South Armagh polluting a local river.

Two 1,000 litre containers were abandoned just off the Mullaghduff Road, Cullyhanna at the weekend. One had been burned and only the metal frame and some plastic remained. The other had been over turned and was leaking, approximately four metres from the County Water river. Some of the contents had entered a nearby road gully and a minor volume of liquid waste had reached the river. When NIEA arrived on the site, they ensured that no further fuel laundered waste could enter the river, deploying absorbents to deal with pollution in the road gully and stopping further leakage from the container.

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The containers will be removed from the site on Monday.

Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan said: "Fuel laundering waste is very damaging to our environment. It is a drain on taxpayers resources to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds which could be better spent elsewhere. This is yet another example of the threat to the environment and the local economy of crime and organised crime and another reason why this threat must be dealt with. I welcome the swift work done by my officials in NIEA."

(CD/MH)