A civil engineering firm in Antrim has been struck with a £500 fine after being found guilty of a water pollution offence.

John McQuillan (Contracts) Ltd was brought to Lisburn Magistrates' Court yesterday, 21 January, where they were also issued a £15 Offenders Levy.

This comes after a Water Quality Inspector (WQI) acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) inspected the Collin Glen River in Belfast in 2018 following a number of complaints about silt in the area.

-- Advertisement --

The Inspector and a colleague from the Regulation Team visited the Whitehill Landfill site at Glenside Road, Dunmurry. A flow of brown water was observed flowing down the concrete road and entering a storm water grating. An open section of the waterway downstream of the Glenside Road was brown in colour.

In accordance with procedures, a statutory tripartite sample was collected and analysed. The results of the analysis shows that the run-off had an extremely high suspended solids content. 

Effluents with high suspended solids contents can have an abrasive effect on the gills of fish, making them susceptible to infection. In addition, suspended solids can settle out in the waterway and lead to the destruction of fish spawning sites leading to a reduction in fish population and destruction of habitats for invertebrates which are an important source for fish.

(CM/MH)