Six cattle had to be rescued from a polluted river in Co Armagh on Saturday evening by the NI Fire and Rescue Service.

The incident occurred in the River Tall near Loughgall and required firefighters from Armagh Fire Station, as well as a specialist rescue team and a large animal rescue team.

It is understood that the owner of the cattle discovered the animals had broken out and had entered the waterway at around 8pm. However, there was a strong smell of sewage coming from the river, so the farmer decided not to enter the water and called the fire service for assistance.

All cattle were eventually rescued from the river just before midnight and the NI Environment Agency (NIEA) was contacted about the water pollution incident.

“NIEA tasked a water quality inspector to investigate the report and are continuing to assess the environmental impact of the incident,” a spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Water treatment works

It was suspected that the sewage came from a nearby water treatment works at Ardress. A spokesperson for NI Water said all discharges from the facility are “permitted discharges” and the site is “operating normally”.

However, NI Water acknowledged that “emergency spill points” are part of all sewer systems and these overflow facilities can be used at times of heavy rainfall, as was the case at Loughgall on Saturday.

“These overflows are required to reduce the risk of sewage escaping from sewers and causing the flooding of homes, schools and businesses,” the spokesperson said.

“Wastewater in sewer networks is significantly diluted with storm water, protecting public health by preventing out-of-sewer flooding in properties,” they added.