River pollution and fish kill cases fail over internal conflicts at Irish fisheries body

Fish samples at the scene of the fish kill along the River Ilen in Skibbereen in West Cork.

Dozens of prosecutions for river pollution and fish kills have been dropped because of an internal problem at the body that oversees the protection of rivers.

A total of 55 cases in which prosecutions were initiated will not now go ahead because Inland Fisheries Ireland was not authorised to prosecute due to internal control failures.