Lord Kilclooney has called for the ownership of Lough Neagh to be removed from the Earl of Shaftesbury.
Writing on X/Twitter, the outspoken peer also questioned "why should someone living in England and who rarely ever has been in Northern Ireland benefit millions of pounds" from the lough.
It comes as the crisis at the lough continues with widespread toxic bacteria the worst ever recorded, according to government officials.
Campaigners say pollution is killing the lake, with wildlife and birds suffering after blue-green algal blooms over the summer.
The ownership of the lough has been in the Earl of Shaftesbury's estate since the 1800s.
Read more:
- Officials: Toxic bacteria in Lough Neagh is worst ever recorded
- Lough Neagh: Earl of Shaftesbury still open to sale and calls for government body to take control of blighted body of water
- Patrick Murphy: To clean up Lough Neagh, we need to clean up politics
Last month, Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, said he was still open to discussing future ownership as he expressed his deep concern over the bacteria blight in the largest lake in Ireland and Britain and other waterways, including the River Bann.
The Shaftesbury estate makes money from the lough by selling licenses to sand extraction companies.
Discussions over the sale of the estate's lough assets began in 2012 wuth a sale price of £6 million reported.
Now Lord Kilclooney has weighed in on the discussion about the ownership.
In a post, he said: "Lough Neagh belongs to the people of Northern Ireland.
"The Earl of Shaftesbury never bought it and after hundreds of years his ownership should be cancelled."
Lough Neagh belongs to the people of Northern Ireland. The Earl of Shaftesbury never bought it and after hundreds of years his ownership should be cancelled. Why should someone living in England and who rarely ever has been in Northern Ireland benefit millions of pounds ??
— Lord John Kilclooney (@KilclooneyJohn) October 4, 2023
He added: "Why should someone living in England and who rarely ever has been in Northern Ireland benefit millions of pounds??"
People Before Profit assembly member Gerry Carroll called for Lough Neagh to be "expropriated" from the Earl of Shaftesbury.
Mr Carroll said he believed the earl "cannot be allowed to gain from the crisis at Lough Neagh" and claimed he "should not be entitled to a single penny for its transfer into public hands".
He added: "Environmental activists have issued a call to action over Lough Neagh, urging everyone to attend a national demonstration in Belfast on October 21.
"I would encourage the people of the north to come out and call for Lough Neagh to be taken from the Earl of Shaftesbury without compensation."
