Torrent river: Hundreds of fish killed after slurry spill

Fish are being picked at by gulls following the incident on the Torrent river

Hundreds of fish have been killed after a slurry spill polluted the Torrent river in County Tyrone.

The Department of Agriculture said it was notified of the spillage on Sunday morning and has identified the source.

The spillage began at Newmills and covered a 7km stretch as far as Clonoe.

Fish and eels can be seen lying on the riverbed and are being picked from the rocks on the banks by gulls. It is understood to be the third spillage on the river in the last two months.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) "immediately deployed a water quality inspector to the area to confirm the report and assess the environmental impact".

It said a joint investigation with Daera Inland Fisheries has started.

"The source has been identified and NIEA are currently working with the premises involved to identify what further measures can be employed to mitigate the impact of the spillage on the Torrent river," it added.

Amateur wildlife photographer Martin Armstrong was walking his dog near the river on Saturday night, taking pictures of kingfishers that were beginning to nest along the river in higher numbers than before.

Martin Armstrong said the impact of the fish kill was devastating

He said the same birds were in a panic on Monday, trying to find food for their young.

"We were down on Saturday evening and fish were rising everywhere, we had actually commented on how good the river was actually doing," he said.

"It wasn't until Monday, that I got the word that there had been a fish kill and we came down and it was devastating."