Co Antrim business fined £400 over water pollution incident

A Co Antrim business has been fined for causing a discharge of trade effluent to enter a waterway.

Golden Popcorn Ltd, Orchard Close, Newpark Industrial Estate, Antrim pleaded guilty and were fined £400 plus £15 Offenders Levy at Antrim Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ballymena.

The Court heard that on 3 March 2022 a Water Quality Inspector (WQI) acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) responded to a report of oil present in a waterway.  The WQI examined the Hollow Burn and discovered oil present on the surface of the waterway.  The WQI traced the oil upstream to Golden Popcorn Ltd premises.  The escape of oil had occurred when a shut-off valve on an oil reception tank had been left open, causing the tank to overfill and overflow.  This resulted in the spill of more than 2500 litres of rapeseed oil flowing onto the surrounding area before entering the nearby water systems and the Hollow Burn, a tributary of the Six Mile Water.

In accordance with procedures a tripartite statutory sample was collected.

Anyone wishing to report a pollution incident can call the 24 hour Water Pollution Hotline on: 0800 80 70 60.

Notes to editors: 

1. Golden Popcorn Ltd was fined £400 and charged under Article 7(2)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as amended by the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order for the offence of discharging trade or sewage effluent into a waterway or water contained in any underground strata, namely the Hollow Burn, a tributary of the Six Mile Water on 3 March 2022.

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