Rogue operators who illegally dump waste in Northern Ireland could go to jail for five years under tough new laws being introduced next week.
The legislation will also increase the maximum fines, and force offenders to pay the cost of cleaning up the illegal dumps.
It has also emerged that the bill for cleaning up the thousands of tonnes of illegal waste from the Republic dumped in Northern Ireland could be £50 million.
It is estimated that in recent years up to 250 million tonnes of illegal waste from the Republic has been dumped in the countryside in Northern Ireland.
This means a huge loss of revenue and serious damage to the environment, so in implementing one of its first major pieces of legislation the new power-sharing Executive at Stormont is adopting a zero tolerance approach.
From tomorrow, new laws to be introduced by the DUP Minister, Arlene Foster, will mean illegal dumpers could face up to five years in jail.
Fines have more than doubled to £50,000, and officials will have new powers to stop and search suspect vehicles.
Offenders will no longer be able to use the defence that they were acting under an employer's instructions, and illegal dumpers could also be forced to pay the clean up and enforcement costs.
