The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) has been accused of being complicit in facilitating breaches of environmental regulations in relation to a "rogue" bonfire site at the Dublin road estate in Antrim.

Sinn Féin's South Antrim MLA, Declan Kearney and Party colleagues met with senior officials at the NIHE following the agency's failure to meet its statutory obligations.

Mr Kearney said: "Party colleagues and I met with Colm McQuillan, Housing Executive Director and other senior officers in the Housing Executive's Belfast headquarters on Friday. During the meeting, we made direct and frank representations about the failure of the Housing Executive to deal with the serious risks posed to the local community by the rogue bonfire at Dublin Road.

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"I made it clear to the Housing Executive representatives present that we considered the Housing Executive has been complicit in facilitating breaches of environmental regulations, and violations of local residents' rights associated with the Dublin Road rogue bonfire. I also said that the decision to renege on its agreement to remove tyres and other materials from the site constitutes a corporate capitulation to environmental vandals.

"It is now for the senior management of the Housing Executive to seriously reflect on how to address the legal and civic obligations which have been abjectly abandoned in respect of this rogue bonfire at Dublin Road."

(CD/LM)