A man who admitted illegally dumping tyres at a bonfire site in the Galliagh area of Derry has been fined at the city’s Magistrate’s Court.
Barry McGillion, 45, of Glenelly Road in the Gortin area of Omagh, admitted transporting waste when he wasn’t a registered carrier and unlawfully disposing of waste on August 8, 2017.
A Public Prosecution Service (PPS) representative said the waste consisted of a ‘large amount of used car tyres’ that were ‘dumped near a bonfire site’ at Galliagh Park.
Material had been gathered in a ‘grass area’ and the defendant was said to have driven away when he saw a police vehicle approach. Officers noted around 100 tyres had already been dumped at the site.
The 45-year-old was driving a red van which was then stopped and it was discovered that it was ‘full of used tyres’. He was cautioned for the illegal dumping of waste and during police interview made ‘full and frank admissions’.
The court heard that McGillion had ‘no criminal record’ and ‘no clean-up was required’ as everything was burned on the fire.
Defence solicitor Michael Magee said his client pleaded at the earliest opportunity and told officers he would be willing to go back and remove the tyres, however, there were ‘concerns for his safety’ if he had done so.
McGillion didn’t think about the consequences of his actions, and Mr Magee said it was a ‘one off’ by a man with a good reputation who has never been in trouble before.
Passing sentence, District Judge Barney McElholm said it was ‘hard to think of anything more anti-social than burning tyres on a bonfire’. “They produce noxious fumes which everyone has to breathe in. This selfish and totally self-centred approach by these young people – quite frankly I don’t see the attraction of these bonfires.”
He added: “(McGillion) knew what he was doing, it suited him to get rid of them (tyres) in a way that didn’t cost any money.”
Ordinary people living in the vicinity of the bonfire had to breath in noxious fumes, Judge McElholm said, and he remarked that just as in the past people were unaware of the dangers of asbestos it could be ‘many years before people have symptoms’ from breathing in noxious fumes.
The defendant was fined a total of £1,200.
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