Fishermen fear sewage pipe effect

Fishermen are threatening the government with legal action over a sewage pipe to be laid on the sea floor off the County Down coast.

Fishermen want to be consulted about the plans

The skippers of crab, whelk and scallop boats fear underwater blasting near Bangor could destroy shellfish breeding grounds.

They claim the Department of the Environment is ignoring their concerns and potential damage to marine life over the pipeline, which will stretch 1.5km out to sea.

Whelk fisherman Neil Urie said no-one had explained what effect the pipe might have on marine life.

"I'm concerned about the underwater explosions, as the whelks are sensitive to any type of dredging or bottom movement," he said.

Crab fishermen are also worried about the impact of underwater construction work.

One of them, Eric Brown, said the pipeline will also run directly through their fishery.

Fisherman Neil Urie is worried about the effect of underwater explosions

"They're going to dig a big trench and put gravel in it, put the pipe in it and cover it in rock armour, but to get the trench, they will have to use high explosives to blast their way through," he said.

The Environment and Heritage Service insists there is an overriding public interest to proceed with the new pipeline to improve water quality on local beaches.

Scallop Fishermens' Association spokesman Paul Leeman called for talks to head off the threat of a legal challenge.

"There's a simple answer - come to the fishermen, discuss compensation, allay their fears on the corridor and reduce the size of the exclusion zone," he said.

"Let's get a bit of commonsense and move on."

The fishermen insist they are not against development and the building of a new sewage pipeline, but they are equally insistent that the government takes account of their livelihoods.