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FISH have been killed and other wildlife impacted in a Tyrone river after a “major slurry spill” contaminated the water.
The fish kill occurred in the Claggan River between Pomeroy and Stewartstown over the weekend.
A DAERA spokesperson said, “From the evidence available at this point, the spillage involved the release of slurry from an overground tank and the volume of the spillage was significant.
“Investigations have shown that the spillage initially impacted the Claggan River, which then becomes the Killymoon River before discharging to the Ballinderry River just downstream of Cookstown.”
The department said both the Killymoon and Ballinderry Rivers have been impacted by the incident and a “major fish kill has been confirmed”.
The spokesperson added, “Inland Fisheries Officers are continuing to assess the extent and magnitude of the fish kill and the investigation under the Water (NI) Order 1999 remains ongoing.”
In a statement, the Ballinderry River Trust described the contamination as “devastating”.
A Trust spokesperson said, “The truth is, the count of dead fish will only be the tip of the iceberg as the wee trout and salmon alevins, just emerged from the spawning gravel, will not be seen.
“A very sad day for the Ballinderry River system.”