Waste that has been dumped on a Co Tipperary farm is likely to cause serious environmental pollution, the High Court was told yesterday.
Mr Justice Michael Peart heard that unless the landowner complies with court orders to relocate the waste to an authorised waste facility, North Tipperary County Council would have to foot the €2 million bill for doing so.
Eamon Galligan, counsel for the local authority, said two directors of Shannon Vermicomposting Ltd, a company allegedly responsible for illegal dumping at Coolross, Rathcabbin, near Roscrea, had fled the country. He said Peter Ogg and his wife, Claire Holdsworth, were now living in Britain.
Mr Galligan said that in April Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne had made interim orders restraining the Oggs and their company from further tipping of waste on their lands or permitting it from leaching into the water table.
He said Shannon Vermicomposting had been prosecuted in the District Court for allegedly breaching conditions attached to a waste permit it had received from the council.
Mr Ogg had been prosecuted for allegedly obstructing and impeding the director of the council's environmental services, Karl Cashen, while carrying out an inspection.
Birr District Court had still to hand down a reserved judgment on both prosecutions.
Mr Ogg had failed to turn up at court hearings, and a warrant for his arrest had been issued at Birr District Court.
The court heard that Mr Ogg had seriously exceeded the 1,000-ton annual limit of waste he was lawfully permitted to dump on the lands - in one year he broke the limit by 10,000 tons.
Mr Galligan said all of the company's equipment had been sold for some €300,000. The council feared the lands might also be sold, and it would have to pay for dumping the waste in an authorised dump and restoring the land.
Judge Peart said he favoured granting the council injunctive reliefs, and would give his decision today.