Craigavon farmer fined £2,000 for pollution offence

A Co Armagh farmer was fined £2,000 plus analysis costs of £155 and £25 court costs at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court today for a pollution offence.

Mr Thomas Draffin of Dromore Road, Lurgan, was fined with making a polluting discharge so that it entered a waterway, namely an unnamed tributary of the River Lagan.

On 20 March 2008, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formally the Environment and Heritage Service), observed the waterway was polluted with farm effluent. The source of the polluting discharge was traced to Kircassock Farm owned by Mr Draffin.

Analysis of a sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed the waterway was polluted, containing poisonous, noxious and polluting matter which would have been potentially harmful to fish life in a receiving watercourse.

Notes to Editors:

1. Mr Draffin 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.