BELFAST City Council has said a ratepayer-funded fence placed around a bonfire site to combat fly-tipping was removed because it "achieved its purpose".
The £2,000 wooden picket fence was removed amid the building of this year's pyre at the site near Shaw's Bridge in south Belfast.
Last week the council refused to comment on its removal, claiming it was unable to because of an investigation into its decision to store pallets for other bonfires.
But in a u-turn the authority confirmed it took away the fence that was erected in May at the site along Milltown Road.
A spokeswoman said: "Council removed the fence as it was to be a temporary measure and had achieved its purpose."
In May, Stormont's infrastructure department, which owns the land, said the council erected the fence "to help reduce the incidents of fly-tipping at the site".
Further metal fencing nearby, costing £256, was also erected by the Housing Executive, which it said was to stop bonfire material "spilling on to the dual carriageway".
But yesterday ahead of the bonfire being lit for the Eleventh Night, stacks of pallets could be seen splayed along the footpath and roadside at Milltown Hill.
Last week SDLP councillor Donal Lyons criticised the council for spending around £2,100 on the fence at the bonfire site.
"The council, unwisely in my view, spent over £2,000 on a temporary wooden fence for the Milltown site."
He said "again we've seen the dumping of rubbish, builders' debris and hundreds of pallets along the ring-road" and people have had to "navigate their way around a pile of scrap wood".
