Criminal investigation under way over asbestos at bonfire site

Concerns were raised about the hazardous material at the Meridi Street site ahead of the lighting of the 11 July bonfires

The presence of asbestos at a bonfire site in Belfast is under criminal investigation by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the environment minister has confirmed.

Concerns were raised about the hazardous material at the site, between the Donegall Road and the Westlink, in the run up to the lighting of the 11 July bonfires.

The NIEA previously removed about 20kg of asbestos from the Meridi Street site and had confirmed that further fragments of asbestos had been found in the site.

A spokesperson for the landowners, Boron Developments, has said they are "not aware" of any new criminal investigation in relation to the asbestos on the site.

Environment agency taking issue 'very seriously'

They added that they were in "weekly contact" with the NIEA and Belfast City Council and had reported the removal of gates to an entrance on the site to the police as they said they "could not secure the site until this entrance was blocked".

The spokesperson also said the contractors who will remove the asbestos will be taking "full control" of the site and the process is due to be completed by September.

Boron Developments bought the site in the summer of 2017 and were made aware of asbestos at that time.

It previously said it engaged a waste management company to remove the asbestos but the company needed "no personnel" on the site in order to complete the removal of asbestos.

Due to people "bringing in materials and building the bonfire" the company told the landowners it could not complete its work at the time.

The Belfast Telegraph first reported that a criminal investigation had been launched into the asbestos at the controversial bonfire site.

Northern Ireland's Environment Minister Andrew Muir later confirmed to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Friday that a criminal investigation has been initiated and litigation proceedings were under way.

"The Northern Ireland Environment Agency rightly considers this very seriously and will be doing all that they can in regards to it because this is an issue of concern and the officials in my department are working studiously in regards to it," he said.

Muir added the agency is focused on making sure that the asbestos pile is "safely removed".

Despite the concerns raised about the presence of asbestos at the south Belfast site, the bonfire was still set alight

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) has said removing the asbestos will be a "highly specialised, complex and delicate operation that will require the site to be fully vacated" and will take a "number of weeks".

The NIEA previously said it was first alerted to the issues around the bonfire on 16 May but "circumstances did not allow for the safe and controlled removal of the asbestos" prior to the 11 July.

It said at the time mitigating measures were agreed to reduce the risk to public health.

Despite the concerns raised about the presence of asbestos at the south Belfast site, the bonfire was still set alight as part of the Eleventh night celebrations.

The Belfast City Council previously said it had taken enforcement action before and secured the site due to asbestos in 2011.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has said the probe is a "Northern Ireland Environment Agency investigation".