The town of Andenne has decided to sue a company for damages. This company was supposed to take away polluted soil at Landenne, rues Couthuin and Corla, but replaced it with soil that was even more polluted, according to the mayor Claude Eerdekens, who bases his claim on test results. Heavy metal soil pollution was found.
The town asked the company to clean up the soil, but today has suspicions. “These companies have mafia-like practises and took advantage of the incompetence of the previous Walloon environment minister, Philippe Henry, to make themselves a fortune. We decided to take samples and when we started checking, the company abandoned the site, which is as good as admitting to bringing in polluted waste”, explains Claude Eerdekens.
The site has been abandoned, even though work has already lasted two years. “They took away slightly polluted soil that wasn’t hurting anybody and replaced it with highly polluted soil and made us pay them 200,000 euros”, complained the mayor.
He criticised a Walloon region decree on soil management for imposing costly cleaning methods on communities. “The incompetence of Minister Henry under the old legislation provided opportunities for cowboys to make a fortune. When you make an idiot a minister, these are the consequences you have to deal with”, he added.
Two lawyers have been employed. “We want them to act this week. The abandonment of the site is a considerable wrong done to the town and the residents of the areas affected” he says regretfully.
(Source: Belga)
