Glenavy farmer fined for pollution offence

A County Antrim farmer was today fined £1,000 plus court costs at Antrim Magistrates’ Court for a pollution offence which killed over 300 fish.

Mr Andrew Williams of Glendona House, Glenavy, was fined for making a polluting discharge to a waterway, namely the Glenavy River.

On 16 June 2008, following a complaint, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formerly the Environment and Heritage Service) found a concrete pipe discharging grey water with a strong smell of pig slurry.

The source of the polluting discharge was traced to the farm owned by Mr Williams. The Inspector observed pig slurry bubbling up through the concrete yard adjacent to the piggery before entering the storm drainage system that enters the Glenavy River.

The numbers of dead fish counted were 143 trout, 82 trout fry, 67 salmon par and 20 sticklebacks.

Samples taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious and polluting matter harmful to fish life in the receiving watercourse.

Notes to editors:

1. Mr Williams was charged under Article 7 (1) (a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.
2. For media enquiries please contact DOE Press Office 028 9054 0014 or out of office hours, contact the EIS Duty Press Officer on pager 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.