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No prosecution over fish kill 'disappoints' anglers

David Kennedy close up shot of a river edge with two small dead fish lying out of the waterDavid Kennedy
The incident killed 3,500 fish within a 6km section of of the river on 12 February 2023

A decision not to pursue a prosecution for a major pollution incident on the Crumlin River has been described as "disappointing" by local anglers.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said there would be no prosecution for the incident which killed 3,500 fish within a 6km section of of the river on 12 February 2023.

In a statement, the NIEA said it responded to 40 pollution incidents of varying severity on the Crumlin River between 2019 and 2023.

34 of those were classified as low severity where formal enforcement action is not deemed to be proportionate, while the other 6 incidents have been, or are being, pursued.

David Kennedy wide shot of the Crumlin river surrounded by greeneryDavid Kennedy
The Crumlin River runs from the Belfast hills into Lough Neagh

'Damage to the entire ecosystem'

David Kennedy from Crumlin and District Angling Association said the system for reporting such incidents is broken.

"Of the major fish kills across Northern Ireland between 2019 and 2023, amazingly 32 out of 49 saw no prosecution," he said.

"As it currently stands there is no recompense for our angling club as the managers of these waters.

"There is no way for us to reinstate what we have lost in terms of the number of fish and the damage to the entire ecosystem and habitat."

He said urgent change was needed.

"Our river is in a much poorer state due to this major pollution incident, as will be Lough Neagh, where ultimately all this pollution ends up," he continued.

"Polluters will continue to pollute with impunity while the current approach continues."

At the time of the incident, NIEA said that it received a report of slurry in the river, upstream of Crumlin.

In a statement, the NIEA said it could not find "sufficient evidence about the pollution source to enable the PPS to take forward a prosecution".

It added that "additional funding provided for Lough Neagh has supported the provision of additional officers to undertake catchment investigations as well as increased inspection and enforcement activities".

This week, Environment Minister Andrew Muir appointed three experts to carry out a review in a bid to strengthen environmental governance.

Muir had promised to address growing public concerns over the pollution of Northern Ireland's waterways.