Enda Craig, spokesperson Community For A Clean Estuary

CAMPAIGNERS wanting a sewage treatment plant north of the Foyle estuary have won a major victory after Irish Water accepted a discharge licence for the Carnagarve beauty spot is invalid.

The Community For A Clean Estuary has been arguing with Donegal County Council since 2009 that the advertisement seeking the licence broke the law - because it appeared in the Donegal Democrat newspaper which doesn't circulate in Inishowen.

Now Irish Water - which has taken over responsibility for the issue - says it agrees with the environmental group and is no longer seeking the licence from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"The Community For A Clean Estuary has stated this fact to all concerned on numerous occasions over this last number of years but to no avail," said Enda Craig the group spokesman.

"This position is confirmed by the EPA stating they will no longer continue with the 2009 assessment - ref DO212-01.

"A review of the process must now begin and hopefully the local community will be consulted in the event of a valid application being applied for.

"For a start, the practice of advertising the discharge license application in a non-circulating local newspaper ( as happened on this occasion ) will not be tolerated as an acceptable method of distributing this type of important information to the public in future."

Source: DonegalDaily Dec 05,2015