Kehl (dpa/lsw) – The water police stopped a sea container loaded with hazardous waste at the Rhine port in Kehl (Ortenaukreis). Officials found that the cargo – mostly used tires, small electrical appliances and used textiles – was not listed in the shipping documents, a spokesman said on Friday.

Apparently, the container was packed by a company in Lahr (Ortenaukreis) and was to be shipped from the port of Strasbourg. It was originally planned to send the container to Antwerp and from there on to Togo. Due to its overweight, the container had to be unloaded and sorted in Kehl on Saturday.

There is an export ban to Togo for waste of any kind. The sender had to bear the costs for disposal. He faces a criminal offense of illegal shipment of waste.