A Co Tyrone farmer pleaded guilty and was fined £1000 plus court costs of £28 at Strabane Magistrates Court.

Mr Gareth McKelvey, of Munie Road, Killen, Castlederg, Co Tyrone was fined for making a polluting discharge to a waterway.

On 27 June 2011, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, inspected an unnamed tributary of the Killen Burn, Killen, Castlederg and observed that the waterway was in poor condition with large amounts of fungal growth. Approximately 2 kilometres of waterway was affected by the discharge. The source of this polluting discharge was traced to a farm owned by Mr McKelvey.

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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.

(CD)