AN investigation has been launched to identify the source of pollution which has left hundreds of fish dead in Co Antrim.
A member of the public witnessed fish in Glenavy River "showing signs of extreme distress" on Friday at around 8.30am.
Glenavy Conservation and Angling Club said brown trout and stone loach were among the species destroyed in the "major fish kill" and the "source of the pollution was determined to be in an area close to the Gobranna Road".
Photographs show hundreds of fish lined up along the river banks, as well as several buckets of dead fish.
Anthony McCormack from the club said local people helped "remove of hundreds of dead fish from a small stretch of the river in the actual village".
He added: "The general feeling in the village is that this must stop once and for all.
"The past 30 years has not been kind to this river; be it from agri-pollution or other commercial enterprises along the river corridor.
"But a history of mediocre response in respect of fines levied, prosecutions and punishments handed down have done little to deter these offenders."
Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney also called for "zero tolerance" to be shown to those causing pollution.
"The pollution which took place at the weekend can cause very serious long lasting damage which our rivers take months and years to recover from," he said.
"The resulting repercussions for fish populations; the sport of angling; and the public’s enjoyment of these important local environmental assets and resources is huge," he said repeating a call for authorities to show zero tolerance towards offenders.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said a Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) said a water quality inspector visited the area and a "significant fish kill" was confirmed.
A NIEA and DAERA Inland Fisheries investigation is ongoing to identify the pollution source.
