Poultry Perish In Lorry Blaze

One of the largest losses of life among livestock in Northern Ireland for years took place this morning.

Seven thousand chickens were killed after a fire broke out in a transporter lorry near Magherafelt.

The blaze, which is believed to have started accidentally, happened on the Moneymore Road on Wednesday morning.

While most of the chickens died in the fire, some were so badly injured they had to be put down afterwards.

A spokesman for the animal charity, the USPCA, David Wilson, said it was the largest loss of life among livestock in Northern Ireland for many years.

He told the BBC: "The USPCA commends our colleagues in Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service for their efforts to contain the blaze and limit the losses.

"Whilst there were no survivors, their intervention relieved the suffering of many trapped birds," he said.

Meanwhile, local anglers will be incensed with news today that no one is to be prosecuted for one of the biggest fish kills in Northern Ireland.

One of a series of well-documented pollution incidents happened on the Sixmilewater River in Co Antrim in July and was blamed on the nearby Mallusk Industrial Estate, yet despite intense efforts to trace the source, pollution officers said it had been impossible to pinpoint the source

Tens of thousands of fish were destroyed with local fishermen and conservationists saying it would take years, if not decades for the river system to recover.

Northern Ireland Environment Agency staff said nothing more could be done.

See: Fish Kills Targeted

(BMcC)