Lough Neagh crisis laid bare with over 2,000 pollution incidents in seven years

Pollution entering Lough Neagh has been recorded more than 2,000 times in the space of just seven years, UTV can exclusively reveal.

The lough has been blighted by blue-green algae for the second successive year - a potentially toxic algae which rises to the surface of the water.

Agriculture, wastewater treatment works, septic tanks and invasive species of mussels have all contributed to the environmental crisis in the UK and Ireland's largest freshwater lake.

Figures obtained by UTV now show what the main causes of pollution have been since 2017.

Stormont's Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has revealed that on 2,145 occasions, the lough or the rivers that flow in and out of it, have been polluted.

They include the River Blackwater, Sixmilewater and Upper Bann.

Out of these speicific incidents, more than a third (693) has been attributed to farming.

Gary McErlain is a seventh-generation fisherman who lives near the north-east corner of the lough. He also runs excursions with tourist numbers currently low.

"The fishing community of Lough Neagh has faced many hurdles and this whole piece now of the algae is yet another hurdle," he said.

"If we don't get this right now," he said, relating to helping the lough recover, "what in 10 years? And that's not just our fish life in the lough."

As we were out with Gary, an abundance of natural life is still making use of the lough including herons and even cattle who chose to take a dip in the shallow waters.

Scientists at the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Belfast are currently testing water taken from Lough Neagh.

They've discovered that levels of blue-green algae are abnormally high.

"We need to reduce those additional nutrients coming from the catchment and to see any significant improvement in water quality, we need to be seeing reduction in nutrients by about half."

Those are the thoughts of Freshwater Ecologist Yvonne McElarney who has worked at AFBI for around 20 years.

She told UTV that she can't remember things looking so bad in Lough Neagh in all of her time there. She did add however, that she believes that the lough can recover.

More widely, in a 37-point action plan released by DAERA minister Andrew Muir last month, it was revealed that overall, agricultural run-off is responsible for 62% of all pollution which produces phosphorus in Lough Neagh.

24% was down to wastewater treatment works and 12% down to septic tanks.

In a statement provided, he said that he was 'extremely disappointed' about the number of incidents since 2017.

He said: "Let me be clear that all pollution is wrong and whilst my Department will not hesitate to take action against those who pollute our waterways, my focus is to stop the pollution and damage happening in the first place.

"This is why the Lough Neagh report focuses on the four key approaches of Education, Investment, Regulation and Enforcement. I want to reiterate that my Department will take prosecution action where significant damage has occurred and a polluter is identified.

"All cases of pollution are investigated and where the polluter can be identified, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) will pursue formal enforcement action in line with the current policy. As part of the Lough Neagh report I am also establishing enforcement project team to explore and fully consult on enforcement methods including fixed penalty notices for non-compliances."

John McLenaghan is the Deputy President of the Ulster Farmers' Union. He acknowledged farming's contribution to pollution but said the industry was determined to do its part to minimise it.

"We also acknowledge that as an industry, we do not want to see nutrients leaving the land and finding their way, ultimately, into Lough Neagh."

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