Wicklow County Council will resume its investigation on Monday of a potentially enormous illegal dump on lands owned by Roadstone near Blessington, following suspension of work during the holiday period.
Local fears that the digging of trial holes on the site had been suspended due to the release of high levels of methane gas were discounted yesterday by Mr Michael Nicholson, the council's director of environmental services.
"There was gas found, as on any [dump] site, but nothing to worry us," he said. "We would have been told if the levels were very high, but it wasn't any worse than other sites and we are not taking any extra precautions, apart from the usual." Mr Frank Corcoran, president of An Taisce and a resident of Blessington, claimed the levels of methane from decaying organic matter in the dump were "the highest they ever got from anywhere" and this led to the work being suspended.
