Archived press release

DOE bungles investigation into County Antrim fish kill

24 September 2008

Friends of the Earth has condemned the performance of the NI Environment Agency (NIEA) following its admission that there will be no prosecution for one of the worst fish kills ever to have occurred in Northern Ireland.

35,000 fish died in the incident on 18 June 2008 when a substance believed to be an insecticide entered the Ballymartin Water and then the Sixmilewater. It is known to have originated in Mallusk Industrial Estate, Newtownabbey but cannot identify the business responsible. From the Sixmilewater, it entered Lough Neagh from which drinking water is abstracted.

The Sixmilewater was among the best angling rivers in Northern Ireland, as Friends of the Earth Campaigner Lisa Fagan explained:

"Locals and anglers watched in horror as this carpet of poison unrolled along the river. Eels and shrimps were the first to die, suggesting that the poison was attacking the nervous system. Insects and crustaceans died in enormous numbers, again consistent with the theory that the substance was a powerful insecticide. Only the worms and snails survived because they live in the sediment. On-lookers described how they saw eels die as they tried to escape from the river."

NIEA admits that it has been unable to identify the polluter or the pollutant. Most damning of all is the admission that they failed to analyse the key piece of evidence, the dead fish. As a consequence, no prosecution can be taken.

Commenting, Lisa Fagan said:

"This is an enormous policing bungle by NIEA and illustrates the urgent need for an independent Environmental Protection Agency. It also adds weight to the findings of the Criminal Justice Inspection report of last October."

She continued:

"NIEA must recognise that if it is to deal effectively with environmental crime, it must acquire the relevant policing skills. These include: the preservation of evidence; investigation techniques; intelligence gathering; surveillance; interviewing under caution; and the preparation of files for prosecution. These skill sets are to be found in the PSNI, Police Ombudsman's Office, intelligence agencies, Revenue and Customs and Social Security Agency" staff who investigate tax evasion and benefit fraud."

But Friends of the Earth has warned of a more urgent challenge facing NIEA. The agency has identified ten high-risk businesses of the 326 in Mallusk Industrial Estate which are storing hazardous chemicals such as acids, solvents, oils and poisons:

"We understand that ten companies are storing or handling dangerous chemicals in Mallusk Industrial Estate, perhaps unbunded, and adjacent to drains which lead directly to the Ballymartin Water and Sixmilewater. These companies must be made to comply with licensing requirements attached to the handling and storage of dangerous chemicals if another serious incident is to be avoided."

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust