A man from Newtownards Road, Comber has been fined £11,500 plus costs at Ards Magistrates' Court this month for waste offences. On 20 August 2004, Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) officers investigated complaints of burning and the illegal depositing of controlled waste at a site in Comber. They found part of the site on fire but were prevented from carrying out an inspection. They returned to the same address on 8 November, where again burning was observed and they were prevented from entering. In addition, they found that burned material had been dumped down the side of the site onto mud flats of the Comber River, which is part of an area of special scientific interest (ASSI).
On 11 June 2005, officers of the EHS, Planning Service and the Police finally gained access to the site, and discovered end-of-life vehicles, oil spills and controlled waste such as insulation, scrap metal, wood and construction waste piled up to four metres high. The site also contained the remains of a large fire that was still burning and leachate was observed escaping onto the ASSI.
The site owner pleaded guilty under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order SI 1997/2778, to one charge of keeping controlled waste without a waste management licence, and three charges of disposing of such waste in a way that is likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.
