Pink liquid pours into waterway

A joinery products company has been fined £500 after a pink liquid polluted a waterway.

John J Higgins (Magherafelt) Ltd, Station Road Industrial Estate, Magherafelt, pleaded guilty and was fined £500 and £15 Offender Levy at Magherafelt Magistrates’ Court today, DAERA said in a statement.

“On 25 June 2015, Water Quality Inspectors (WQIs), acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), inspected an unnamed waterway at Station Road Industrial Estate, Magherafelt, and observed that it was grey-white in colour,” a DAERA spokesman said.

“Upon further investigation the WQIs observed a pink-coloured liquid discharging from a concrete pipe and entering the waterway. This pink-coloured liquid was creating a grey-white coloured plume in the waterway.

“The source of the discharge was traced to a drain in a paint spray booth on the premises of John J Higgins Ltd.

“On 25 March 2015, at 5:20pm, tracing dye was added to the drain in the paint spray booth. At 5:25pm dye was observed actively discharging from the concrete pipe.”

Anyone wishing to report a pollution incident can call the 24 hour Water Pollution Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.