The latest search, carried out by local authorities, follows the discovery of a large dump in the same area in December, which experts believe could be just one of up to 100 such sites hidden among the woodlands and fields of Wicklow.

A growing scandal over illegal dumping in a region which, ironically, is known as the Garden of Ireland, highlights a lesser known side of a country whose clean, green image is a major draw for some six million tourists a year.

Illegal dumps have been found elsewhere in the country.

"We are very upset about this. Wicklow is fast becoming the waste-bin of Ireland rather than its garden," Irish Green Party MP Ciaran Cuffe told Reuters.

"This could affect our tourism industry and our agriculture industry. It's very important we maintain our clean image and make sure it's a reality - if this illegal dumping continues it will have economic repercussions that go beyond the high clean-up costs involved in the dumps themselves."

CLEANING UP AFTER THE CELTIC TIGER

Much of the blame for the current problem can be laid at the door of Ireland's celebrated "Celtic Tiger" economic boom of the 1990s when conspicuous consumption increased the amount of commercial and household waste by 60 percent.

At the same time, landfill capacity - in which 90 percent of Ireland's rubbish is used - dwindled and years of chronic under-funding mean the country lacks alternative facilities.

There has also been fierce public resistance around the country to the building of an incinerator to dispose of rubbish.

"There are two reasons why this is happening now - first, there's a huge potential profit to be made from disposing illegally of waste...but also, Ireland's waste infrastructure is only starting to develop," said Gerry Carty of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ireland passed its Waste Management Act only in 1996, despite a European Union directive in the early 1970s requiring a network of waste disposal facilities in every member state.

"We're lagging badly behind, and there is still significant catch-up to be done. That said, what's going on in Wicklow is an example of what shouldn't have happened and should not be happening," Carty said.

Ireland currently faces five legal cases over illegal waste brought against it by the European Commission, which has the role of ensuring EU rules are applied.

On the Commission's roll of shame this places it ahead of Greece, Spain and Italy, but behind Britain, France and Germany.

On related fronts, a recent EPA report revealed that 20 percent of the country's public water supplies and 30 percent of privately-owned water schemes were contaminated with human or animal faeces - a level the watchdog said was "unacceptable".

Ireland also languishes at the bottom of the EU's league for waste recycling, with just eight percent being recycled compared for instance with 60 percent in Denmark.

WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO SHAME

However, the issue of waste extends beyond illegal landfills polluting the countryside - many Irish cities and towns face a severe litter problem, with Dublin a prime example.

Again, the boom-time proliferation of restaurants and fast food joints, combined with a swelling population, has added to the tide of garbage.

On Dublin's historic O'Connell Street, burger cartons and food wrappers overflow from bins and are swept along by the wind like tumbleweed. In the city's bucolic Phoenix Park, free-roaming deer pick their way among beer cans and crisp bags.