Actions by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (DoE NI) to tackle water pollution have come under fire as figures reveal that incidents are much more likely to result in warning letters than prosecution.
It has been disclosed that the DoE NI's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) recommended court action on around 60 confirmed pollution cases in 2007. However, this was less than half the number of incidents dealt with by warning letter.
A DoE NI spokeswoman said there were 1,259 confirmed water pollution cases last year and a further 1,036 unconfirmed incidents. Alleged offenders were recommended for warning letters in 135 cases, and for prosecution in 62 cases.
Critics of the EHS's record have campaigned for it to be replaced by an independent watchdog, but former Environment Minister Arlene Foster opted to just rebrand it as the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
The chair of the Assembly Environment Committee, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Patsy McGlone, has commented, "There are a number of issues surrounding the actual effectiveness of the old EHS and whether the new NIEA is fit for purpose. There is a lack of will and adequate resources to carry out any real enforcement. This now reinforces the case for an independent environmental protection agency which would have the power and bite to actually make a difference to help protect our environment."
Moreover, an angling organisation which secured a recent £1,000 pay-out for an oil spill in Newtownabbey's Threemilewater River has complained that criminal prosecutions for such incidents are "far too rare." A spokesman for the UK-wide Anglers' Conservation Association also said that he had been repeatedly disappointed by the DoE NI's actions.
