Clean-up of one of Europe's largest illegal dumps 'could begin in 2028'

Clean-up of one of Europe's largest illegal dumps 'could begin in 2028'Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDavid WilsonBBC News NIPA MediaThe minister criticised as 'disgraceful' recent commentary on social mediaWork to clean-up of one of Europe's largest illegal landfill sites could start in 2028 and take up to five years to complete, Northern Ireland's environment minister has said.The contaminated Mobuoy dump at Campsie in County Londonderry, discovered in 2013, was used to bury thousands of tonnes of rubbish at a site spanning more than 100 acres.Last year, two businessmen were jailed for their part in the operation.Stormont's Environment Minister Andrew Muir said the site's remediation – previously estimated to cost more than £100m – was "non-negotiable" and "must take place"."There's a number of actions that will take place as part of that remediation and it will take place over a number of years but it must occur because people of the area deserve that," Muir told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.He said his department was now trying to get a "final cost estimate" for the work.That needed "proper process", he said, so "the figures we are going to seek funding for are figures we can stand over".GettyThousands of tonnes of rubbish was buried at the Mobuoy site (stock image)That process will take up to three months, Muir said, and would allow a final remediation strategy to be adopted, a business case prepared and funding to be secured."That will take between four and five months," the minister said, and the procurement of contractors could take place in April 2027."That process in terms of procurement is complicated. It's important it's done right and would take between nine and twelve months. Thereafter then the works can commence," Muir said.The minister said the large-scale works would require fin...