Group wants 'hill dump' crackdown

Conservationists want tighter controls on dumping

Almost one million tons of waste is being dumped in the hills around Belfast every year, a conservation group has claimed.

The Belfast Hills Partnership, who say most of the waste is being disposed of legally, have called on the government to do more to crack down on dumping.

A survey by the group found that there are 15 legal landfill sites above Belfast and many more illegal ones.

It claims a third of NI's construction waste is dumped in the hills.

The partnership said the Department of the Environment should "get tough" with people who dump illegally and has also called for a crackdown on some of the legal sites who, the partnership claims, are breaching the terms of their licences.

Three new landfill sites, including a so-called super-dump, are about to open in the area.

The conservation group fear that the increase in dumping and heavy traffic could drive away many of the 700,000 people who visit the hills each year.