Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has been fined £2,000 plus court costs for a major sewage pollution offence.

Appearing before Bangor Magistrates’ Court last Friday, the utility pleaded guilty to making a polluting discharge to a waterway from Cherrymount Sewage Pumping Station (SPS), Bangor.

On 16 May 2011, a Water Quality Inspector acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, inspected the Ballyholme River adjacent to, and downstream of, the Cherrymount SPS, Bangor. The river was heavily impacted with sewage fungus, the water was running discoloured and there was sewage sludge present on the river bed. A large number of dead eels were also observed.

An unauthorised discharge of untreated sewage resulted in this high severity pollution incident and ensuing major fishkill. Some 1,200m of waterway was adversely affected.