Northern Ireland Water fined £80,000 for pollution

Northern Ireland Water has been fined £80,000 for a number of pollution incidents.

The company was fined £60k in respect of two separate discharges from a sewage treatment works at Killinchy, County Down in 2017.

It was also fined £20,000 for a fish kill near Castlewellan in 2016 in which 1,900 fish died.

It is the biggest ever fine for the publicly owned company which is taxpayer funded.

An NI Water spokesperson said the company "accepts full responsibility" for the incidents.

They also said that they have taken measures to ensure the incidents do not reoccur.

Two pollution incidents at Killinchy Treatment Works led to a £60,000 fine for NI Water

Judge Piers Grant sitting in Downpatrick said sentences had to act as a significant deterrent.

He said it was up to the company to ensure that its equipment was appropriately maintained.

Crown court

A cracked pipe caused the Castlewellan spill. The court heard that treatment equipment had not been fully functioning at Killinchy.

The Killinchy spill in particular appeared to have been a long-term issue and there been a history of incidents at the works dating back to 2009.

It's only the second time the company has been prosecuted in the crown court.

Previously pollution cases were dealt with in the magistrates court where the maximum fine was £20,000.

There was pollution at the Blackwater River in Killinchy, County Down

An NI Water spokesperson said: "While the extent and size of the network we operate means there is a risk of pollution incidents of this nature occurring, on the rare occasions when it does, it is a matter of the utmost regret to the company.

"We can, however, give assurances the company is set stringent targets by the Utility Regulator to reduce pollution incidents, and these targets have been consistently met and exceeded since 2008.

"There are a number of learnings and actions that we can and have implemented to ensure these incidents do not reoccur. These include investment in more robust equipment and further training of staff.

"These actions, and the investment required to implement them, are an indicator of how seriously NI Water takes pollution and the lengths we will go to, to prevent a repeat occurrence."