Generations of fish 'wiped out' after pollution incident

An angling club has said a fish kill in a County Down river is the "worst environmental event" it has ever witnessed.

The Department of Environment (Daera) said 5km of the Kilkeel River in the Mournes area was impacted and they are investigating the incident which took place last week.

A spokesperson said trout, eels and lamprey were all confirmed dead.

Kilkeel Angling Club said the scale of the destruction was "devastating".

Daera said "no active discharge was found" but "a definite line of enquiry is being followed regarding the source of the pollution".

They added the number of fish killed remains to be confirmed.

Kilkeel Angling Club said "several generations of juvenile fish have been wiped out".

"The incident could have serious consequences for the river's salmon and sea trout populations for many years to come," added the club.

"The Kilkeel River is an important local watercourse and wildlife habitat.

"Our club and its members have invested a great deal of time and voluntary effort in protecting and improving it, which makes the extent of this damage particularly difficult to comprehend."

David Crozier, a committee member at Kilkeel Angling Club, told BBC News NI that it was a "scene of devastation" when the fish were found dead, and described the incident as "heartbreaking".

"It's the worst pollution incident I remember on this river," he said.

He said it will take "years, without question," to bring the river back the condition it was in before the kill.

"It's the biggest fish kill any of us remember in south Down for decades."