A water firm has been fined and ordered to pay costs after allowing sewage to leak into a watercourse.

Northern Ireland Water was fined £1,500 plus £25 court costs at Dungannon Magistrates' Court to-day for making a polluting discharge to a waterway.

The Northern Ireland Environmental Protection Agency said today (March 9) on May 7 in 2008 a water quality inspector, acting their behalf inspected the Torrent River next to the Ballynakilly and saw what he assumed was untreated sewage.

Tests carried out the same day revealed the discharge contained 'poisonous, noxious and polluting matter' which were potentially harmful to fish life.

The inspector traced the source to a combined sewage overflow, managed by NI Water, which was discharging to a tributary of the Torrent River.

NI Water contractors arrived on site on May 8 2008 and cleared the blockage and cleaned up the sewage the same day.

Luke Walsh