Anglers in Northern Ireland have described a “massacre” on a Co Tyrone river after a slurry spill resulted in a major fish kill incident, prompting an official investigation into the source.

The spill on the Claggan River was discovered last weekend with Ballinderry Rivers Trust reporting that “thousands of litres of slurry” were moving downstream to the Killymoon River near Cookstown.

According to Coagh Angling Club, a “massacre” of fish — including young salmon and native dollaghan, as well as breeding and baby trout and eggs — was witnessed several miles upstream of its waters.

On Tuesday (29 March) another incident was reported on a tributary above Coagh weir, where the waters appeared “green with slurry”.

The club’s John Hagan told the Belfast Telegraph that it will take years to recover from the environmental damage.

“We don’t know the full environmental impact of it just yet, but we do know that there's probably about 12-15 miles of river near the source of the Ballinderry which is just dead,” he said.

The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.