Tyrone farmer fined £1,515 for water air pollution offences

A Co. Tyrone farmer has been fined a complete of £1,515 after a sewage tank on his farm overflowed into a close-by river.

Keith Russell (54) of Camderry Highway, Dromore, Co. Tyrone pleaded responsible to the offence and was fined £1,500 plus £15 offenders levy at Omagh Magistrates’ Court docket.

The courtroom was informed that on November 9, 2020 a Water High quality Inspectors (WQI) performing on behalf of the Northern Eire Setting Company (NIEA) responded to a report of air pollution in a tributary of the Owenreagh River.

The inspectors noticed intensive sewage fungus throughout the mattress of the stream. They continued upstream to a farm on the Camderry Highway.

A tank on the farm was found to be overflowing with farm effluent which was flowing over an adjoining discipline and into the waterway.

In accordance with procedures a tripartite statutory pattern of the energetic discharge was collected and analysed and located to include toxic, noxious, or polluting matter which was probably dangerous to fish life within the receiving waterway.

Effluents of this nature enrich fungus protection on the mattress of the watercourse which can result in the destruction of fish spawning websites, in addition to ravenous river invertebrates, on which fish feed, of oxygen.