Donegal County Council responded to a complaint from a member of the public in the St. Johnston area late on Tuesday afternoon, reporting the presence of what appeared to be cattle slurry in a stream know as the St Johnston Burn.

Council staff from the Water and Environment Service, working in collaboration with Fisheries Officers from the Lough’s Agency, carried out an extensive investigation into the catchment area for the stream. They were successful in tracing the source of the polluting matter to a farm approximately 8km upstream of the village, where the release of an unknown quantity of slurry had occurred the previous day.

The Lough’s Agency Fisheries has confirmed that a significant quantity of dead juvenile fish have been found in the lower section of the Burn as it discharges into the River Foyle.

In a statement, the Lough’s Agency and Donegal County Council committed to working closely to monitor the discharge point and watercourse over the coming days and weeks and pursue enforcement action as appropriate.

This incident has highlighted the importance of taking extreme care to avoid the discharge of slurry and contaminated water into watercourses, during what is a very busy time.

Ireland seeks air pollution exemption for slurry gases

In pictures: preventing contamination in a new well