More than £60,000 was spent on cleaning up an 11th night bonfire site close to a reservoir in Co Antrim over the last five years, new figures released by NI Water reveal.
The Stoneyford Reservoir is used every year as a bonfire site, but also as an illegal dump for all types of material in the lead up to the night.
Elected representatives in the Stoneyford area, members of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, have united in their opposition to the annual dumping, which has been ongoing for 15 years.
The bonfire has been branded a “toxic” hazard which the “vast majority” of people in the Co Antrim village oppose. Over £60,000 was spent by NI Water cleaning up the site between 2019 and 2024.
However, the majority of that amount, £47,000, was spent in 2023/2024, the one year NI Water cleared the site ahead of the collected material being set alight for the July 11. This was due largely to the disposal of tyres by a specialist contractor.
In 2024, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), which obtained the clean up figures, saw a NI Water letter to a resident, which stated that in “previous years, efforts to remove material and monitor activity was met with threats of violence against our staff, which makes it difficult for us to take any meaningful action”.
This year, the gate pillars at the site are marked in red, white and blue colours with ‘UVF’ graffiti, along with a makeshift sign directing people to dump material, specifically wood.
DUP Councillor James Tinsley described the Stoneyford bonfire as “just a dump” where no organisation takes responsibility for its running and which is opposed by the community.
“Despite the sign (Leave Wood Only) at the gate, you get everything from wood, to tyres to even baths and everything in between. It becomes a free dumping ground for anyone and everybody with no one taking any control of it,” Mr Tinsley said.
Sinn Fein Councillor Gary McCleave said he has been “contacted by a number of residents in Stoneyford....disgusted to see a ‘dump wood’ sign appear at the reservoir site”.
“The vast majority of people in the Stoneyford area are against this and those responsible need to listen,” Councillor McCleave said.
“Stoneyford is a diverse community and those trying to create division will not succeed. I will be contacting all the relevant agencies in the coming days to remind them of their responsibilities in dealing with this illegal activity.”
An NI Water spokesperson said this week: “NI Water, with the help of PSNI and other agencies, is monitoring this site on a regular basis, and we are exploring options in an effort to resolve the situation. No further threats have been reported to us.”
