Farmer jailed for illegal dumping

A County Fermanagh farmer has been jailed for nine months for dumping waste from the Irish Republic at his site in Fermanagh.

David Edwin Allingham, 61, is the first person in Northern Ireland to be imprisoned for such an offence.

His wife Freda, a 58-year-old nurse, was given a four month jail term suspended for two years.

The Garrison couple were convicted last month of keeping controlled waste and having it without a licence.

An estimated 4,500 tonnes of biodegradable municipal-type waste from the Irish Republic were found buried on their 65 acre border farm at Slattinagh near Garrison in December 2003.

Staff from the Environment and Heritage Service, Fermanagh District Council and Invest NI, supported by PSNI, investigated the site.

On Tuesday, Enniskillen Crown Court Judge Babington told Allingham: "It is surprising for a farmer, someone who supposedly husbands the land, is prepared to allow this material to be deposited on his land, material which will only damage it and the surrounding environment."

The farmer admitted being paid between £6,000-£8,000 to accept the material.

The judge said the waste, some of which had been traced back to Cork and Wexford, had already affected the local ground water.

"It may well be the case that the high cost of waste disposal in the Republic of Ireland has made it tempting for that waste to be dumped in border areas," he said.

"Unfortunately the dumping and keeping of waste in our countryside is becoming all too common. Not only can it be unsightly, but of even greater concern is the long term damage that it can do, as in this case."