On a constituency visit to the North-West, DUP MEP Diane Dodds called for greater resources to tackle fuel fraud. Mrs Dodds also highlighted how the SF and SDLP decision to block the National Crime Agency (NCA) was aiding criminals such as those involved in fuel racketeering.

Mrs Dodds said: "Whenever I visit border areas, fuel racketeering is consistently raised. Communities feel that HMRC is not devoting sufficient resources to putting fuel launderers out of business.

"There are frequent headlines about laundering plants being disrupted but there are very few arrests and even fewer prosecutions secured. These fraudsters are costing the economy.

"One plant in Cullaville Co. Armagh was estimated to have cost the Treasury £18m alone. The toxic sludge by-product from laundering is also having a devastating impact on our rural environment.

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"The laundering gangs are not small-time operators. The PSNI has previously said that there are 145 crime gangs operating in Northern Ireland and over 1000 people 'involved in crime as a day job'.

"The refusal by SF and the SDLP to give the NCA full operational powers in Northern Ireland must be music to the ears of these criminals.

"On the 27th November 2013 a DoJ press release outlined discussions between David Ford and Mark H Durkan about fuel laundering and the associated waste.

"They discussed the involvement of the NCA in future cases of fuel laundering. Yet it is Minister Durkan's party which is limiting the NCA's fight against crime.

"SF and the SDLP have taken an ideological position on the NCA but are wilfully ignoring how their actions are helping criminals. Their actions are reckless and wholly unjustifiable.

"A new fuel marker is to be introduced by both the UK Government and the Irish Republic which will be harder to 'launder'. The evidence to date has proven the new marker to be significantly more effective than current markers and highly resistant to known laundering techniques.

"However the ability of criminals to amend their techniques should not be underestimated and we cannot afford to rest on our laurels when this marker is introduced."

(CD/JP)