NI bonfires: Clean-up and protections cost housing body £1.4m

NIEA said the council had “advised that no further action was required from NIEA, as arrangements had been made for a contractor to undertake remediation works”.

“The management of annual bonfires is recognised as a challenging and complex issue which requires a range of agreed multi-agency preventative and, where appropriate, enforcement activity,” it added.

“NIEA does not authorise or permit controlled waste to be burned on bonfires.”

Belfast City Council said in its FOI response it did not hold any details because bonfire-related costs “are absorbed within our annual street cleansing budget”.

The Housing Executive said it would “not provide approval” for bonfires built on its land but recognised it was a “complex issue and one which can be very divisive”.

“When dealing with bonfires on our land, we work with all relevant agencies, elected representatives and the community and take steps to reduce any risks in so far as we reasonably can,” a spokesperson added.

“We’re pleased that more of our local communities have moved away from bonfires to more environmentally friendly beacons.”