A business in Co Fermanagh has been fined £15,000 for a pollution offence.

Fermanagh Properties Ltd was convicted of making a polluting discharge to a waterway and for making a discharge of trade or sewage effluent into a waterway at Lower Lough Erne.

On 21 July 2016 a Water Quality Inspector (WQI) acting on behalf of the Department visited Lusty Beg Resort on Lower Lough Erne to investigate a report of sewage from the treatment plant serving the resort. The WQI noted that the shoreline was grey in colour and smelled of detergents. On 2 August 2016 the WQI returned to the site and met with management from the business. It was explained by management that a discharge from the resort laundry block had been occurring. On 22 November 2016 the WQI again returned to the site and confirmed that the discharge was continuing. The discharge was pale white / grey in colour and smelled strongly of detergents.

-- Advertisement --

On 16 February 2017 the WQI returned to the site and confirmed the discharge from the laundry block was still occurring. A statutory sample of the discharge was collected on 16 February 2017. Visits were again made by the WQI on 4 May 2017 and 2 June 2017 and the discharge was still ongoing.

The result of the analysis of the sample collected on 16 February 2017 show that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

(CD/MH)