Water Body Fined

Northern Ireland Water Ltd (NIWL) was fined £500 plus court costs of £25 at Downpatrick Magistrates Court this week for making a polluting discharge to a waterway. On 4 November 2010, a Senior Water Quality Inspector acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) observed a large slick of untreated sewage evidenced by the presence of a grey plume in the sea at Newcastle. The untreated sewage discharge was traced to the overflow pipe from Harbour Sewage Pumping Station Newcastle, which is owned and operated by NIWL. A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway. This was a serious pollution incident that visibly affected a sizeable area of the shoreline and although this occurred outside the official bathing water season, this area of Newcastle remains of high amenity at all times of the year.

Kofax Welcomed

The NI Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has said she looks forward to working closely with Californian company Kofax following its acquisition of IT firm Singularity. The Minister said: "This is another important endorsement by a major international IT company of Northern Ireland as a centre of excellence in the development of highly innovative software, especially for information processing and storage. This strategic acquisition by Kofax establishes another US technology leader in Northern Ireland. It is a global business which has gained a series of major industry awards for its enterprise, innovation and customer services." Kofax, based at Irvine in California and operating in over 70 countries, will be now able to access the expertise available within Singularity as well as Northern Ireland's universities and the wider technology community. "I look forward to working closely with Kofax management in support of its investment in Northern Ireland and to encourage further projects that will strengthen its role here and increase employment opportunities, particularly for our graduates in IT and other related disciplines." she said.

Older Accolade

Older people are exceeding expectations to help their local communities and three of the best have been honoured at Belfast City Hall. Mayor, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile, said the Belfast City Council Older Volunteer of the Year Award had received nominations from organisations across the city in recognition of the work done by people aged 60 and over. "All the nominees are exceptional people and the judges had a tough time choosing between them but Jim Pierce, a volunteer with Lighthouse, an organisation working with those bereaved through suicide or sudden death, is a worthy winner," he said. "He impressed the panel because of the commitment he has shown following the loss of his twin daughters, Geraldine and Georgina, to suicide. His personal experience brings an additional dimension to his volunteering and puts a face on the tragedy of suicide,” said the mayor, who also congratulated the runners up, Jonene McMaster, from Parenting NI and Lynn Davidson, a volunteer driver with the Ulster Cancer Foundation.

Trees Protected

The NI Environment Minister, Alex Attwood has launched the Department of Environment's (DoE) new guidance on Tree Preservation Orders. The D0E's new publication provides advice on Tree Preservation Orders, in clear and simple terms for owners, conservation groups and the general public with an interest in protecting trees of amenity value. It explains the requirement to protect trees that make an important contribution to the environment, as the DoE has a specific duty to do so under Article 64 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. The leaflet also explains what types of trees can be protected, how the protection works by bringing the trees under the control of the Department, and where to find information on which trees are protected - from Local Area Planning Offices or online. "The new guidance aims to ensure that the public are made fully aware of what is required in terms of compliance with the legislation to ensure that these trees are here for future generations to come," he said.

(BMcC/GK)