A Coleraine farmer has been fined for a water pollution offence following an investigation by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
Martin Millar, 44, of Glenleary Road, was convicted at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. He pleaded guilty and received a fine of £1,500, along with a £15 Offenders Levy.
The case dates back to November 4, 2024, when NIEA Water Quality Inspectors responded to reports of pollution impacting the Castleroe Burn. Inspectors discovered a white fungal growth on the waterway near the Lower Bann, which led them to trace the pollution upstream for approximately 2.5 kilometres to Millar’s dairy farm on Castleroe Road.
During their inspection, the inspectors examined the farm’s storm drainage system and found silage effluent. Further investigation confirmed that this effluent was linked to the waterway.
A statutory sample collected from the discharge was found to contain poisonous, noxious, or polluting matter, which posed a potential threat to aquatic life in the area.