River life ‘destroyed’ by massive slurry spill

THOUSANDS of fish could be wiped out after an estimated spill of 20,000 gallons of slurry into a river — running through a wildlife sanctuary — on the outskirts of Cork city.

County council officials and fisheries inspectors were conducting a full-scale investigation after the slurry allegedly leaked, possibly early yesterday, into the River Blarney, an important tributary of the River Lee.

Initial inquiries suggest the spill originated at a farm in the Whitechurch area and affected an almost eight-mile stretch of river.