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The authorities are dealing with a fish kill after several hundred trout were recovered from the Three Mile Water at Monkstown in County Antrim.

Many of them were sizeable fish of spawning age.

Andrew Moore, of the Three Mile Water Conservation and Angling Association, said the pollution incident would have a major impact on the river.

At seven miles long it runs from Ballyrobert, near Newtownabbey, to Belfast Lough at Whiteabbey.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said the cause of the fish kill is still unknown.

An active group of anglers and conservationists have revitalised the river in recent years, doing clean-ups and habitat restoration.

"It was quite shocking to hear," Mr Moore said.

"The river has been doing quite well recently in terms of water quality and we have been avoiding fish kills.

"The affected area was in a productive stretch of the river and the amount killed would actually set the river back quite a bit, because that would be quite a significant portion of our spawning stock of trout."

It is understood officials from the NI Environment Agency have been on site in an attempt to locate the source of the pollution.

The water level is also understood to have been low following recent dry weather.

The Daera spokesperson said the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) was alerted by a member of the public about dead fish in the river on Monday evening.

The NIEA then sent a water quality inspector to the river to assess the environmental impact.

"The full impact on the fishery remains under investigation and the investigation will continue," the spokesperson added.