Carrickfergus farmer fined after slurry polluted waterway

A Co Antrim farmer has pleaded guilty and been fined Â£500 plus an Offender Levy of Â£15 at Ballymena Magistrates' Court for a pollution incident involving slurry.

By The Newsroom

Published 29th Sep 2016, 08:51 BST

Updated 5th Oct 2016, 14:38 BST

William Barron, Cairn Road, Carrickfergus was fined on Wednesday (28th September) for making a polluting discharge to a waterway.

On 1 June 2015, a Water Quality Inspector (WQI) acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) inspected the Craignabraher Burn at Loughmourne Road, Carrickfergus and observed the waterway was very discoloured and smelled strongly of slurry. The source of the pollution was traced to the farm owned by Barron.

The pollution was caused by slurry running from the slurry lagoon across a field and entering the waterway. The impact on the waterway was in excess of a distance of one mile.

A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

Anyone wishing to report a pollution incident can call the 24 hour Water Pollution Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Carrickfergus