Stewartstown farmer fined £750 for pig slurry pollution

Mr Gary Anderson from Lisboy Road, pleaded guilty to the offence in Dungannon court on Monday.

The court heard that on November 27, 2013, water inspectors, from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency observed what appeared to be pig slurry flowing down the Lisboy Road and entering a road gully.

They followed the flow of slurry back along the Lisboy Road to a point where slurry was observed flowing from under a hedge from a grass bank.

A dye test confirmed the polluting discharge was entering an unnamed tributary of the Kingsmill River in the Ballinderry catchment area. The source of the polluting discharge was traced to farm premises owned by Mr Anderson.

A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharges contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

The Department of Environment have urged anyone wishing to report a pollution incident can call the 24 hour Water Pollution Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.