Farmer Convicted At Coleraine Magistratesā€™ Court For Water Pollution Offence
Feb 07, 2025
Mr David Conn (47), Ardina Road, Castlerock was convicted today at Coleraine Magistrates Court, under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as amended.
Mr Conn pleaded guilty and was fined £500 plus £15 Offenders Levy.
The Court heard that on 7 June 2023, NIEA Water Quality Inspectors examined the Articlave River where they discovered the bed of the waterway was covered in grey fungus. The source of pollution was traced upstream to the rear of farm buildings. At that location, a flow of agricultural material, with the appearance of silage effluent, was observed to be actively discharging to the Articlave River via an open field drain and a stone drain.
As part of the investigation, a statutory sample of the discharge was collected and analysed. The sample results indicated that the sample contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which would have been potentially harmful to aquatic life in a receiving waterway.
Anyone wishing to report a water pollution incident can call the 24-hour NIEA Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
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