Campaigners say pollution is killing the lake, with wildlife suffering after blue-green algal blooms.
The man who owns the bed and soil of Lough Neagh has said he is still willing to sell it to public - but won't give it away for free.Campaigners say pollution is killing the lake, with wildlife and birds suffering after blue-green algal blooms over the summer.The rights to the lough were given a price tag of £6m 10 years ago, but civil servants at the time advised the government not to go ahead with the sale. It is not known why.
"I'm well aware there are people who think that way but I'd like to be treated as any other business owner and the business has a value," he said.The ownership has been mired in controversy for hundreds of years and, in the past, there have been legal battles over fishing and hunting rights with the Shaftesbury Estate."The issues at the moment are to do with the water, and our ownership is the bed and soil so the current situation is not our responsibility," he said.
Friends of the Earth and others would like to see it end but the earl said his company has been through the planning process and extensive monitoring, and he does not believe it causes wider problems to the wildlife or habitat. There are those who say the earl is allowed to operate in rules that are out of date - so does he feel a moral imperative to declare the royalties?
The earl is calling for a new independent body to be set up to control and protect all of the interests in Lough Neagh.
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