Hospital power outage concerns at asbestos-laden bonfire site | UK News

There are concerns that the power supply has been put at risk at Belfast City Hospital because of an Eleventh night bonfire.

The bonfire has been built near a major electricity substation between the Donegal Road and the Westlink.

The Belfast Trust said “senior engineers will remain on site” at the hospital during the Eleventh night.

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it expressed concerns over the bonfire’s “proximity to the substation causing potential risk to critical infrastructure and power outages”.

In a statement to The Nolan Show, the network said it has put mitigations in place, including turning off the transformers adjacent to the bonfire, building scaffolding with metal sheeting around the transformers and placing steel plates on open cable ducts to reduce the risk of fire and damage.

However it warned that “there will be a reduction in security of supply for the area”.

“We would remind the public that flames near to power lines and electricity substations pose serious risk to everyone’s safety and wellbeing,” NIE added.

The Department of Health said the Health Minister Nesbitt would be visiting the bonfire site on Tuesday.

Former Senior Police Officer Jon Burrows told the show that there was a need for this in a “clear multi-agency approach…someone chairing a meeting with all the relevant people, fire service, landowners, the council and the environment agency” to address public safety concerns.

“People have a right to have cultural traditions and they should be respected and protected but bonfires should be safe, should be lawful,” he added.

The bonfire site has recently been the subject of concerns over asbestos that agencies and authorities said they were “unable” to remove.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said in a statement on the asbestos concerns and said it had put in place mitigations “over the past week including the further covering of the asbestos containing material, the use of fire-retardant material and the erection of additional fencing”.

It added that the department is in “ongoing contact with the council”.

The committee also considered a proposal from the SDLP to employ licensed contractors to remove the asbestos.

The council heard that would cost a six-figure sum. The motion was voted down.

On Monday the SDLP’s Matthew O’Toole told Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme on Monday that the situation, in relation to asbestos, “is absolutely bonkers”.

“It is unacceptable that my constituents including people who actually want to attend that bonfire…are being put at risk.”

On Monday former UUP Belfast City Councillor Chris McGimpsey told ‘s Talkback programme the issue around asbestos is not about bonfires and “could have been dealt with immediately”.

“Everyone is passing resolutions but no one is doing anything about it.”

Last month Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor Tracy Kelly expressed concern but warned against “scaremongering”.

“It’s a very, very big bonfire site and the bonfire is not where this asbestos is. It’s on another part of the site,” she said.

Belfast City Council (BCC) said the land in which the bonfire sits is the “responsibility of the landowner” who “appointed a contractor” when the council issued a notice about the asbestos issue.

It added that more mitigation measures including “further covering of the asbestos containing material, additional fencing in the area around the asbestos and the use of fire retardant material as an added precaution” were agreed to be taken by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, last Thursday.

Last month council said it previously took enforcement action and secured the site due to asbestos in 2011.