County Antrim farmer fined for polluting river resulting in death of fish

A County Antrim farmer has been fined £1,500 following a serious pollution incident that resulted in the death of fish and contamination of a local waterway.

Hugh Allen (55), of Drumahiskey Road, Ballymoney, appeared before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to an offence under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as amended.

Mr Allen was convicted for causing the discharge of polluting matter into a waterway and ordered to pay a £1,500 fine, in addition to a £15 Offenders Levy.

The case stemmed from an incident on 18 June 2024, when Water Quality Inspectors from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) responded to a report of dead fish in the Ballymoney River.

During their investigation, inspectors observed grey fungus on the riverbed and traced the source of the pollution upstream.

Their enquiries led them to a location where a concrete pipe was found actively discharging farm effluent into the river.

A statutory sample of the discharge was collected and later confirmed to contain “poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which would have been potentially harmful to aquatic life in a receiving waterway.”

Further investigations on 19 June 2024 revealed that a blocked silage effluent collection channel on the farm had caused silage runoff to escape from a clamp into a piped drainage system. This, in turn, allowed the effluent to flow directly into the Ballymoney River.

The NIEA emphasised the importance of maintaining proper effluent management systems to prevent environmental damage.

Members of the public are encouraged to report pollution incidents to the NIEA Incident Hotline, which operates 24 hours a day, on 0800 80 70 60.