Coleraine farmer convicted of water pollution offences

Coleraine farmer John Lyons of Ballyrashane Road, has been convicted at Coleraine Magistrates Court for water pollution offences.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Nov 2016, 10:16 BST

Updated 16th Nov 2016, 17:01 BST

Lyons was fined a total of £3,500 and given a two month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for causing a discharge of silage effluent from farm premises at Glasport Road, Aghadowey on three dates from March 2015 to July 2016.

On 23 March 2015 a Water Quality Inspector (WQI), acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), inspected farm premises at Glasport Road, Aghadowey, Co. Londonderry and observed a discharge of silage effluent to the nearby Agivey River. Further investigation found that this effluent was coming from silage clamps belonging to Lyons.

On two further occasions, 23 April 2015 and 22 June 2015, NIEA found this discharge to be recurring.

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

Coleraine