An environmental campaigner has said Northern Ireland is facing a “dire situation” after a report revealed the number of serious water pollution incidents almost doubled in 2023.

Friends of the Earth NI director James Orr said the report, published by Daera last week, painted a “devastating picture” and urged candidates in the General Election to make the environment a priority.

The report indicated that the number of medium to high severity water pollution incidents had risen by 85% last year.

Overall, 1,851 water pollution incidents were reported to the department, of which 821 (44%) were confirmed as having an impact on water quality, an increase of 21% on the previous year.