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A criminal investigation is currently underway by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) regarding the presence of asbestos at a bonfire site in Belfast, as confirmed by the environment minister. Concerns had been raised about the hazardous material at the Meridi Street site ahead of the lighting of the 11 July bonfires. Initially, the NIEA had removed around 20kg of asbestos from the site and later discovered further fragments of asbestos within the area.
The landowners, Boron Developments, stated that they were not aware of any new criminal investigation regarding the asbestos on the site. They mentioned being in regular contact with the NIEA and Belfast City Council, reporting the removal of gates to an entrance on the site to the police, as they could not secure the site until the entrance was blocked. Boron Developments bought the site in 2017 and were made aware of the asbestos at that time, engaging a waste management company to remove it.
Despite concerns about the asbestos, the bonfire at the south Belfast site was still set alight as part of the Eleventh night celebrations. According to a spokesperson from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera), the process of removing the asbestos will be a highly specialized operation that requires the site to be fully vacated and will take several weeks. The NIEA was alerted to the issues surrounding the bonfire in May, but circumstances did not allow for the safe removal of the asbestos before the event in July.
Environment Minister Andrew Muir emphasized the seriousness of the issue and the agency’s commitment to ensuring the safe removal of the asbestos pile. The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that the investigation is under the jurisdiction of the NIEA. Despite past enforcement actions regarding asbestos at the site in 2011, concerns remain about the potential health risks posed by the hazardous material
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