Fears for local wildlife after major oil spill near courtown harbour

There could be long term impacts on the wildlife and flora in the Courtown area after a major oil spill was discovered yesterday.

Walkers along the Ounavarra River in the north of the county spotted the oil flowing along in the water and it's now entered Courtown Harbour where it's posing a danger to birds and fish. It's believed the spill originated near Ballycanew and has now been contained but there are still large amounts of oil in the water. Melanie Croce is the Executive Director at the nearby Seal Rescue Ireland sanctuary and says animals in the area will be affected by this spill: [audio wav="https://www.southeastradio.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Melanie-Seal-Rescue.wav"][/audio]