Northern Ireland's official water provider, NI Water (NIW) has hit back over news of a £2,000 fine for polluting a major angling river in Co Antrim.

It has blamed the public for blocking the pumps after a guilty verdict over untreated sewage that flowed into the Six Mile River (pictured here by Brian McCalden) at the nearby Clotworthy Bridge in Antrim last May.

It happened after a sewerage system became blocked and on investigation, NIW found that one of the pumps had been blocked at the Masserene Sewage Pumping Station with 'inappropriate items'.

These included cotton buds, nappies, sanitary items, household wipes and condoms.

NIW said these items regularly make their way through the sewerage system and block the pumps at their pumping stations.

An NIW spokesperson said: "NI Water would ask for the publics' assistance in reducing pollution incidents by not placing inappropriate items in the toilet, down a drain or into the sewers.

"Whilst NIW has a responsibility for the sewerage system, everyone in Northern Ireland can help reduce pollution incidents," the statement said.

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"The advice is simple, only toilet roll and human waste should be flushed down the toilet, for everything else - bag it and bin it, don't flush it."

The development came shortly after they pleaded guilty to causing the pollution incident - while insisting that it is investing it its water and wastewater services to reduce the possibility of blockages and pollution occurrences.

As well as the £2,000 fine, NIW also had to pay court costs of £49 after the case at Antrim Magistrates' Court this week for making a polluting discharge to a waterway and breach of consent.

The court heard that, in May 2010, an official from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) observed untreated sewage impacting on the Six Mile Water at Antrim for approximately 500 metres.

The source of the polluting discharge was traced to Massereene Sewage Pumping Station and a sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

It is still not known if an incident investigated a few weeks later by the Six Mile Water Trust, Antrim & District Angling Association that led to problems at a river tributary in Dunadry, following the discovery of what appeared to be sewage fungus coming down the river was caused by the incident.

There has also been other similar incidents such as one at Laurelvale Sewage Pumping Station, near Crumlin, back in October 2008.

That saw NIW fined £15,000 for polluting a tributary with poisonous and noxious substances after a water quality inspector who checked the waterway at Cidercourt Road, Crumlin, Co Antrim, in October 2008 found it was heavily discoloured.

The source was traced to Laurelvale sewage pumping station (SPS), Crumlin, which was discharging to an unnamed tributary of the Crumlin River, Antrim Magistrates' Court was told.

See: NI Water Fined Over Water Pollution - Again

(BMcC/GK)