Other News In Brief

Farmer Fined For Waste Offence

A farmer from Co Tyrone has been fined for a breach of waste management legislation at Omagh Magistrates' Court.

Mr Derek Keys was fined £2,000, given a two year conditional discharge on four other charges and ordered to pay a £285 compensation order and an offenders' levy of £15.

Officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency investigated a site adjacent to the Upper Owenreagh River at Aghnamoe Road, Dromore Co Tyrone, operated by Mr Keys between the dates of 26 June 2013 and 17 February 2015 where 273 tonnes of construction and demolition waste, green waste, tyres, plastic mixed with clay and soil were deposited. Also present on site was 2,085 tonnes of spent mushroom compost waste. The site did not have a waste management licence.

Mr Keys subsequently cleared the site.

Work Begins On New £2m Pipeline

Construction work has started in a new £2 million water pipeline in County Tyrone.

The scheme involves the construction of 11 kilometres of water pipeline from Carland Service Reservoir to the Sandholes Road in Cookstown.

In advance of the construction of the main pipeline, some work will take place on minor roads, and it is anticipated that work will get underway on a section of the Old Cookstown Road on Wednesday 11 November.

The first section is expected to be completed by the end of November. Following the work, and depending on permits from Transport NI, pipelaying will get underway on either Annaginny Road from Carland Service Reservoir back to the Old Cookstown Road or on the main A29 towards Cookstown.

The entire pipeline is due for completion in summer 2016.

£1.5m Withdrawn From PCSP To Be Reinstated

SDLP Upper Bann MLA and Policing Board member Dolores Kelly has welcomed confirmation from the Department of Justice that £1.5 million that had been withdrawn from the Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) will be reinstated for the 2015/16 year.

She said: "The initial removal of these funds caused great concern around public safety and that this decision has been reversed is very welcome news. This money will now be returned to local councils with the acute purpose of making communities safer.

"The work of the PCSP does much to relieve pressure on frontline police services by tackling social concerns such as domestic violence, drug abuse and antisocial behaviour. It should not have been seen as fair game for cuts by DOJ. The removal of funds to what is a cost-saving mechanism was an overtly counter-productive and bewildering move in the Ministers effort to save money."

(CD)