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.
The landowners, Boron Developments, have been contacted for comment.
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.
Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister Andrew Muir told Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme on Friday a criminal investigation has been initiated in relation to the asbestos and litigation proceedings are underway.
“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”.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has said the probe is a “Northern Ireland Environment Agency investigation”.
