Scale of fish deaths in Co Antrim River 'shocking', says minister

Hundreds of fish have been killed following a pollution incident in a Co Antrim river.

The incident was reported in the River Glenavy and an investigation is underway by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Stormont Environment Minister Andrew Muir said he was “shocked” by the scale of the pollution after visiting the river, which is in the Lough Neagh catchment.

“Pollution spills, whether intentional or accidental, occur far too regularly: they destroy our wildlife, cause enormous damage to natural habitats and threaten our environment,” he said.

“This is the latest of 62 confirmed pollution incidents in this river since 2011 and the second large-scale fish kill in our rivers this year. We need to do much better as a society when it comes to protecting our environment.

Last month more than 1,000 brown trout were killed following pollution of another Co Antrim waterway, the Four Mile Burn tributary of the River Six Mile Water.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs linked the May incident to slurry.