AN Eleventh Night bonfire situated beside a large pile of asbestos is now causing concern over the threat it poses to the Royal Victoria Hospital and City Hospital power supply.
And we can reveal that the "additional mitigating measures" put in place there include pouring fine gravel over the asbestos and putting a second row of portable mesh fencing beside the existing one.
The bonfire has been built near a major electricity substation between the Donegall Road and the Westlink.
Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) says it's concerned over the bonfire's "proximity to the substation causing potential risk to critical infrastructure and power outages".
The Belfast Trust said "senior engineers will remain on site" at the hospital throughout the Eleventh Night.
NIE says it has put mitigations in place, including turning off the transformers adjacent to the bonfire, building scaffolding with metal sheeting around the transformers and placing steel plates on open cable ducts to reduce the risk of fire and damage.
However, it warned that "there will be a reduction in security of supply for the area".
"We would remind the public that flames near to power lines and electricity substations pose serious risk to everyone's safety and wellbeing," they added.
The site has also been the subject of concerns over asbestos that agencies and authorities said they were "unable" to remove.
New Belfast Media pictures show that tons of fine gravel have been poured over the sprawling asbestos pile, which is around 50ft long by 20ft wide and 5ft in height.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Belfast City Council have been involved in a game of pass-the-parcel over responsibility for dealing with the asbestos.
At a private committee meeting at Belfast City Hall last Thursday, the SDLP brought forward a motion calling for Belfast City Council to remove the dangerous asbestos material, at a cost of £100,000. The motion was rejected by other parties, including Sinn Féin and the DUP.
Leader of the Stormont Opposition, SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole, has called on Alliance Minister at the Department for the Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Andrew Muir, to intervene before the bonfire is lit on Friday night.
A DAERA spokesperson said: “The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is working with Belfast City Council to address the issues on the Broadway Industrial Estate, even though it is primarily the responsibility of the landowner.
“Following an assessment of the site, NIEA has alongside Belfast City Council been carrying out additional mitigating measures over the past week including the further covering of the asbestos containing material, the use of fire-retardant material and the erection of additional fencing.
“Staff from the Environmental Crime Unit within NIEA remain in ongoing contact with the council and their enforcement investigation continues in relation to the site.”
