On August 11th last, up to 40,000 fish died in the River Blackwater and the River Clyda in the Mallow area.

Inland Fisheries Ireland said a probe is being carried out by their officers and Cork County Council, who attended the scene in Fermoy yesterday.

Pádraig O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central, said he was calling on the Government to put in place a compensation scheme to help angling clubs affected by the fish kill.

An Inland Fisheries Ireland spokesperson it is currently assessing the impacted area, which spans an 8km stretch of the River Blackwater between Mallow and Roskeen Bridge, Lombardstown.

James Dyson bought Ballynatray House and its 850-acre estate for €29.25 million last year

It is understood that the dead man is from Kanturk in Co Cork.

Crayfish plague was first discovered in Ireland in 2015 in Co Cavan, and has spread to several other rivers across the country