Down District Councillors received a report presented by Councillor Cadogan Enright at last weeks council meeting regarding the recent fish kill in the Quoile River.
The analysis report by local Environmentalist John Peacocke was based on statistic dada from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). John highlighted failures in the NIEA’s approach to investigating the massive fish kill in the Quoile at the start of this month.
Cllr Cadogan Enright proposed that the council write to the NIEA asking why they did not test the area of the river by the sewage works and plank drain upstream of the Belfast Road. This was the area complained about by local people and anglers as the source of the kill.
This proposal was supported by all parties.
Cllr Enright also requested that the NI Rivers Agency be invited to the council and to affirm or deny that they are pumping sewage and polluted water into the Quoile at Dunleath Park, Downpatrick Railway Station, Church Street and the Quoile Quay.
This proposal was also approved on a cross-party basis.
Welcoming these decisions, Downpatrick Anglers Chairperson Trevor Love said, “We appreciate the work of Cllr Enright and the support from councillors of all parties in holding the NIEA and Rivers Agency to account.”
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