Quarry Owner Fined For Pollution

A Co Londonderry quarry owner has been fined for pollution offences.

Patrick Heaney of Banagher Road, Dungiven, pleaded guilty to the offence at Limavady Magistrates' Court, and fined £300 plus £97 court costs plus analysis costs of £115.30.

The court heard that on 31 January 2008, an officer from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formerly the Environment and Heritage Service) found a large volume of polluted runoff entering a stream flowing through Banagher Nature Reserve, near Dungiven.


The source of the polluted runoff was traced to a nearby sand and gravel pit operated by Mr Heaney.

Samples of the runoff were collected which, when later analysed, confirmed that it was heavily contaminated with silt at a level which would have had a serious detrimental effect on the waterway and on any fish life.

(PR/JM)