Close Menu
WTX News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Huge UK girl group member vows reunion after years-long hiatus ‘if it’s the last thing I do’
    • JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk Show in tribute to influencer and claims ‘left-wing extremism’ a factor in assassination
    • Arsenal’s Ødegaard, Saka to miss Champions League opener
    • Nurburgring 24h in sight as Verstappen ponders next step in GT
    • Crime thriller hailed as one of the best films of all time streaming on Amazon Prime
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    WTX News
    • Live News
      • US News
      • EU News
      • UK News
      • Politics
      • COVID-19
      • Business
      • Tech zone
    • World news
      • Middle East News
        • UAE News
        • Palestine News
      • Europe
        • Italian News
        • Spanish News
      • Africa news
      • South America
      • North America
      • Asia
    • News Briefings
      • UK News Briefing
      • World News Briefing
      • Live Business News
    • Sports
      • Football News
      • Tennis
      • Women’s Football
    • MY World
      • Climate Change
      • In Review
      • Expose
      • Special Reports
        • Conscience Convoy
        • Rohingya Report
    • Entertainment
      • Insta Talk
      • Royal Family
      • Gaming News
      • TV Shows
      • Streaming
    • Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • Fashion
      • Cooking recipes
      • Luxury
      • Money Saving Expert
    • Travel
      • Culture
      • Holidays
    • Sign Up
      • Log In
    WTX News
    • Live News
    • World news
    • News Briefings
    • Sports
    • MY World
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Sign Up
    Home - Northern Ireland - Local authorities failing to effectively enforce environmental laws, warns EPA
    Northern Ireland

    Local authorities failing to effectively enforce environmental laws, warns EPA

    By David Pike3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Local authorities failing to effectively enforce environmental laws, warns EPA

    Local authorities have not prioritised enforcement action to prevent water, air, and noise pollution to protect the environment, with poor inspection rates and follow-up actions, a watchdog has found.

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that while the prioritisation of resources towards waste activities delivered improvements and positive environmental outcomes, there were areas that councils around the country needed to improve on.

    “The effective enforcement of environmental law is essential to identify polluters and noncompliant operators, and to hold them to account,” the EPA’s director of environmental enforcement Dr Tom Ryan said.

    “Local authority leadership is critical in delivering better environmental outcomes through the prioritisation of environmental enforcement and the appropriate allocation of resources.” 

    Its latest report, published today, shows that across the 31 local authorities last year, 547 staff handled 70,000 environmental complaints.

    They also carried out 212,000 environmental inspections, undertook 17,000 enforcement actions, and initiated 470 prosecutions.

    Rating each local authority across a range of categories, the EPA ranked eight of them as strong or excellent in 17 of more the 20 national enforcement priorities. These were Cork County, Kildare, Meath, Dublin City, Monaghan, Carlow, Donegal and Wicklow County Councils.

    Kildare County Council was the only one with the top ranks across all 20 priorities for the second year running.

    Six local authorities that failed to achieve the high score in 10 or more were Westmeath, Galway City, Waterford, Wexford, Sligo and Kilkenny County Councils.

    Water enforcement

    Looking at water enforcement, the EPA said agriculture continues to have a significant impact on water quality, resulting in excess levels of the likes of nitrogen and phosphorous entering our waterways.

    “While the number of local authority farm inspections increased by 9% to 1,137 in 2023, the number is still too low,” EPA’s programme manager Patrick Byrne said, urging local authorities to use all the powers available for enforcement to improve water quality.

    The EPA said that little progress was made by local authorities in implementing noise action plans last year while they also assigned a much lower level of resources to air enforcement.

    In terms of waste, it said that local authorities must target areas with low use of the three-bin service were provided to maximise waste recovery.

    One example it highlighted was a process from Donegal County Council to ensure more households were provided with a three-bin service of brown, black and green bins.

    At the end of 2018, only around 1,600 households in Donegal had the three-bins.

    “From this data Donegal County Council identified a high number of the households refusing the 3-bin service,” it said.

    “By the end of 2023, through the engagement with the waste collectors, awareness raising with households and enforcement on unauthorised activities over 17,500 households in Donegal were provided with a 3-bin service.”

    Local authorities failing to effectively enforce environmental laws, warns EPA

    News Just in

    Huge UK girl group member vows reunion after years-long hiatus ‘if it’s the last thing I do’

    Savanah Al Badri

    Cliff Notes – Huge UK girl group member vows reunion after years-long hiatus ‘if it’s the last thing I do’ Jade Thirlwall expressed strong optimism

    Read More »

    JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk Show in tribute to influencer and claims ‘left-wing extremism’ a factor in assassination

    WTX News Editor

    Cliff Notes JD Vance paid tribute to Charlie Kirk during his show, asserting that “left-wing extremism” contributes to the circumstances surrounding Kirk’s assassination. The alleged

    Read More »

    Cork Dublin NI featured Northern Ireland News UK featured
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleFrench government risks being toppled this week
    Next Article ’No to Casement’ brigade may feel like they scored a massive own goal when the Euros roll around
    David Pike

    David Pike is an experienced news journalist with over 20 years experience as a UK News editor for WTX News and other news publications.

    Related Posts

    Kneecap rapper appears in court on terror charge as protesters gather outside
    Celebrities

    Kneecap rapper appears in court on terror charge as protesters gather outside

    Petrol bombs thrown at police in fifth night of violence in Northern Ireland as trouble moves to Portadown
    Northern Ireland

    Petrol bombs thrown at police in fifth night of violence in Northern Ireland as trouble moves to Portadown

    🇬🇧 Second Night of Riots in Ballymena After Racially Motivated Attacks
    Northern Ireland

    🇬🇧 Second Night of Riots in Ballymena After Racially Motivated Attacks

    Gerry Adams awarded thousands in damages after winning libel action against BBC
    UK News

    Gerry Adams awarded thousands in damages after winning libel action against BBC

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Advertisment
    News Headlines
    JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk Show in tribute to influencer and claims ‘left-wing extremism’ a factor in assassination

    JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk Show in tribute to influencer and claims ‘left-wing extremism’ a factor in assassination

    Starmer: I would never have appointed Mandelson if I knew then what I know now

    Starmer: I would never have appointed Mandelson if I knew then what I know now

    Save 70% on VIP subscription
    News Briefings - the way to a better life
    News Briefings - the way to a better life
    Advert by Sponsors
    More from WTX News
    The latest gaming news - with game reviews and tips and tricks. updated 24 hours a day.
    The latest gaming news
    Hot off the press!
    • Huge UK girl group member vows reunion after years-long hiatus ‘if it’s the last thing I do’ September 15, 2025
    • JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk Show in tribute to influencer and claims ‘left-wing extremism’ a factor in assassination September 15, 2025
    • Arsenal’s Ødegaard, Saka to miss Champions League opener September 15, 2025
    • Nurburgring 24h in sight as Verstappen ponders next step in GT September 15, 2025
    • Crime thriller hailed as one of the best films of all time streaming on Amazon Prime September 15, 2025
    WTX News latest breaking news sports and travel
    Latest News and analysis - Deciphering through the BS with exclusive News Briefings
    Facebook X (Twitter) TikTok Instagram

    News

    • World News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • EU News
    • Business
    • Opinions
    • News Briefing
    • Live News

    Company

    • About WTX News
    • Register
    • Advertising
    • Work with us
    • Contact
    • Community
    • GDPR Policy
    • Privacy

    Services

    • Fitness for free
    • Insta Talk
    • How to guides
    • Climate Change
    • In Review
    • Expose
    • NEWS SUMMARY
    • Money Saving Expert

    News delivered to your inbox

    Copyright WTX News 2025

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.