‘Pathetic’ fines won’t stop polluters, say campaigners | UK News

Campaigners have said stronger deterrents are needed to stop water pollution after figures obtained by News NI showed there were 63 fines handed down between 2020 and 2024.

In the same period there were 4,202 water pollution incidents confirmed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) is consulting on whether fixed penalty notices should be introduced, which would mean polluters could be fined without the lengthy process of prosecuting them through the courts.

Friends of the Earth said unless there was a more effective deterrent there would be “more and more of these shocking crimes against water”.

In recent years large blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae in Lough Neagh – caused in large part by long-term pollution – have grabbed the headlines.

But incidents of pollution happen right across Northern Ireland’s waterways, not just those which eventually lead to the lough.

Daera said it and the NIEA took the issue very seriously and that the NIEA investigated all reports it received and pursued offenders.

James Orr from Friends of the Earth said the figures revealed “an epidemic in relation to how we’re treating our rivers, lakes and sea loughs”.

He said fixed penalty notices – which are already used for things such as dog fouling or illegal parking – had pros and cons.

“We can’t have these cases dragged through the courts for years and years and then a pathetic fine introduced at the end.

“On the one hand we would be quite encouraged that we could simplify these processes.

“On the other hand, we need the penalty to reflect the seriousness of the crime.

“This is not like parking on a double yellow line, this is much more serious.”

Under the current rules, the maximum fine that can be handed down is £20,000.

Mr Orr called for this limit to be scrapped and said there should be an independent Environmental Protection Agency.

The Daera consultation on whether to introduce fixed penalty notices is also asking people whether or not the maximum fines should be increased to £50,000 in magistrates’ courts and whether the limit should be removed entirely in Crown courts.

All 63 fines ranged from £200 to £10,000.

Of these, six were more than £5,000.

In a statement, Daera said formal enforcement action was normally considered for water pollution incidents which it deemed to have a “high” or “medium” severity.

Lower severity incidents normally did not lead to formal enforcement action and would see NIEA work with the polluter to identify the cause and stop it happening again.

From 2020 to 2024, 96 incidents were deemed to be high severity and 542 medium, with the rest categorised as low.

People who use the waterways have said they are frustrated that incidents of pollution keep happening.

In June, anglers on the Moyola River raised the alarm after the river was turned brown due to what they believe was discharge from industry.

Maurice Dorrity, who has been fishing on the river for decades, said the situation was getting worse.

“I had a meeting on the bank of the river 30 years ago [to discuss] the same problem and it’s not got any better, it’s still the same,” he said.

“It has a devastating effect on the fish life.

“On the bed of the river the fish depends on the invertebrates, small insects to sustain their life, just like we need the ground to grow our crops.

“It clogs up all that invertebrate life on the bed of the river and it means the fish are not getting the food they require.”

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillor Denies Johnston reported the incident to the NIEA.

She said many of the problems were stemming from some “irresponsible” farmers and industries.

“There must be a two-prong response, we must incentivise good practice and punish infringements,” she said.

“Until we clamp down on those who are disregarding the advice, ignoring regulations and putting their own selfish interests ahead of our environment, our waters will continue to run orange (as was the case in the Moyola in July) and green (as in Lough Neagh).”

A Daera spokesperson said in addition to fines, other methods including warning letters and notices were available to it.

They added that strengthening environmental governance was a top priority for Daera Minister Andrew Muir.

Incidents do not have to be large in scale to cause damage.

Earlier in September, an incident south of Dungannon led to sewage spewing into the River Rhone.

The NIEA said it was caused by wipes and rags being disposed of incorrectly.

Democratic Unionist Party councillor Clement Cuthbertson said it was a reminder that it was not just agriculture to blame for pollution.

“The landowner had livestock in the field and they had to be moved back to allow a clean up to take place,” he said.

“There needs to be investment on the network.

“Our towns and our villages are expanding all the time, but to be fair to NI Water they are still working on the original pipeworks that could be 40 or 50 years old.”