Buying cheap red diesel is a victimless crime, right? I mean the dealers are champions of the common people, providing ordinary folk access to goods at discounted prices. The only victim is the chancellor of the exchequor.

Try telling that to the wildlife of Cullyhanna in south Armagh, where "hundreds of litres" of red (agricultural) diesel were dumped into a small river. This isn't the first case of large-scale environmental damage being caused by those scamps either. There was an oil spillage from illegal fuel in west Belfast last July and, while I can't find a source online at the moment, I'm sure I recall hearing of a fuel smuggling operation which led to a spillage somewhere near the border in Armagh or Tyrone.

Follow up:

So who pays for the cheap fuel?

• Well obviously the taxpayer (that's you and me by the way!). Less money coming in means either higher in taxes or less money for government spending (eg on schools, hospitals etc).
• Then there's the environment - the BBC report doesn't say but I'd take a stab that any wildlife (fish? frogs? birds?) in the rivers affected don't survive too long swimming in chemicals.
• Oh and the taxpayer again! Since the culprit hasn't been found, the tax payer is going to be picking up the tab for the cleanup operation.
• Finally, honest petrol stations - with the major petrol chains pulling out of Northern Ireland, managers and staff a various petrol stations are going to be affected, and those of us buying petrol legally will have to drive further between petrol stations when we're out around the country.

So, needless to say, I hope they catch the guy who did the dumping and make him drink the damn water.