It will cost £100 million to clean up dump at Mobuoy near Derry
He said the sentences did not reflect the severity of the crime.
Said the Foyle MLA: “While I welcome that this matter has finally been brought before the courts and dealt with after numerous delays, on this occasion given the scale of the dumping and the harm caused it feels like the punishment handed down hardly fits the crime.
“These men profited to the tune of over £40m by illegal dumping waste right beside our city’s main drinking water supply.
“It’s clear they were only interested in their own profits and cared not one bit about the risk this posed to public health or the surrounding environment.
“I acknowledge that in environmental terms this is a significant sentence in an area where the guilty often get off far too lightly, but when you look at the harm this has caused on a massive scale it feels almost derisory.
“The impact of these crimes has been felt right throughout our society, with the A6 road project being delayed as a result with a knock on effect on the North West’s economy.
“We are now looking at a bill of up to £700m to clean up this site at a time when the public purse is under significant pressure.
“It’s fair to say the two men convicted on Friday did not carry out these crimes alone and I reiterate the SDLP’s call for a full public inquiry into the scandal at Mobuoy Dump.
“We also need to see progress and investment to make this site safe and remove the risk to our people and the environment.”
