Lili Busby

A pollution incident affected about 5km of the Kilkeel River in County Down, killing trout, eels and lamprey. DAERA is investigating, has not found an active discharge and has yet to confirm the number of fish killed. Kilkeel Angling Club says several generations of juvenile fish may have been wiped out, potentially damaging salmon and sea trout populations for years, while club member David Crozier called it the worst fish kill seen in south Down for decades.

Irish police seized 166 e-bikes and e-scooters, seven e-dirt bikes, four scrambler motorcycles and three quad vehicles after 96 searches in Dublin under Operation Meacán. Police also recovered cash, suspected drugs, a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition. Five people were arrested, four of whom were charged. The operation targets the use of electric motorbikes, e-scooters and e-bikes in criminal activity.

Three people were taken to hospital after separate road collisions in Northern Ireland within 24 hours. One person was injured in a crash on Cyprus Avenue in east Belfast, while single-vehicle collisions occurred on the Moy Road in Armagh and in Glenarm, County Antrim. Police and other emergency services attended, and roads closed after the incidents have since reopened.

Three people were taken to hospital after separate serious road collisions in Northern Ireland within 24 hours. The incidents occurred on Cyprus Avenue in east Belfast, the Moy Road in Armagh, and the Coast Road in Glenarm, County Antrim. Police said the Armagh and Glenarm crashes involved single vehicles and appealed for information; roads closed during the emergency responses have since reopened.

An eight-year-old girl and a man in his 40s were seriously injured in a collision between a quad bike and a van on Edergole Road in Omagh, County Tyrone. A 26-year-old man has been charged with excess-alcohol driving and two counts of causing grievous bodily injury by dangerous driving, and is due to appear at Enniskillen Magistrates' Court. The road has reopened, and police are appealing for information.

A man driving an e-scooter died after colliding with a car on Kentstown Road in Navan, County Meath, at about 01:45 local time on Sunday. Gardaí said he was pronounced dead at the scene. The car driver, a man in his 60s, and a passenger in his 20s were uninjured. The road remains closed, with diversions in place, and police are seeking witnesses.

A man in his 30s was seriously injured after being assaulted by up to eight masked men armed with bats outside a property in Ballyclare. Police reported severe injuries to the victim’s leg, head, wrist and arms and condemned the attack as unjustified violence. Detectives appealed for witnesses or information to assist the investigation.

A 20‑year‑old motorcyclist from Poleglass, TJ Kennedy, died from injuries sustained in a collision involving a Volkswagen Touran and a Yamaha Tracer on Shaw’s Road in west Belfast. Police reported no other injuries and appealed for witnesses as the investigation continues.

A man in his seventies died after a motorcycle crash in Drumsillagh, Tullyvin in County Cavan. He was treated by paramedics and airlifted to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, where he later died. Gardaí appealed for witnesses and temporarily closed the road for a forensic examination. Three other men were killed in separate road incidents over the weekend in Donegal, Kildare and Cork.

SSE Airtricity will raise electricity bills for domestic customers in Northern Ireland by 6.2% from 1 August, adding about £71.57 per year to typical household costs. The company attributes the increase to ongoing market volatility and elevated wholesale energy prices. Managing director Stephen Gallagher said efforts continue to limit the impact on customers amid persistent instability in the energy market.

Six men who posed as police officers to defraud elderly victims in Belfast, Antrim and Down were sentenced at Belfast Crown Court for offences including conspiracy to commit fraud, money laundering and possessing criminal property. Leader Ray Lee received a five‑year sentence, with the others receiving terms ranging from suspended sentences to 28 months. The gang operated between January 2020 and May 2021 by convincing victims to hand over cash, valuables or banking information for supposed safekeeping. Police condemned the criminals’ exploitation of vulnerable older people and highlighted the significant financial losses involved.

Six men were sentenced at Belfast Crown Court for a fraud scheme in which they posed as police officers to steal cash and jewellery from older victims across Belfast, Antrim and Down between January 2020 and May 2021. Losses amounted to about £190,000 in cash and £15,000 in jewellery, with sentences ranging from suspended terms to five years for gang leader Ray Lee. The Police Service of Northern Ireland described the gang’s actions as devious and highlighted the emotional and financial harm caused to victims.