Rainfall Causes Flooding In Belfast And Lisburn

Flash floods have hit south Belfast and Lisburn as heay rainfall led to sewers overflowing.

Northern Ireland Water said it had responded to 11 reports of blocked sewers and 11 reports of external flooding in a matter of hours last night.

One of the worst affected areas was Sicily Park, Finaghy, where NI Water staff and contractors launched a clean-up operation.

The street has suffered from flooding in previous years and a £35m sewer project is due to begin in 2015, subject to funding.

In a statement, NI Water said the Sicily Park sewers "were found to be operating normally with no blockages, but the sheer volume of rainfall caused the system to become overwhelmed and the sewers to surcharge."

In Lisburn, Ashmount Gardens, Wallace Park and Magheralave Road were flooded and traffic near the civic centre was slow.

And an isolated incident at Greenfield Park, Newry, was dealt with by the company.

NI Water continued: "All our sympathies are with the residents affected in what is clearly a distressing experience for everyone. Every effort was made to alleviate the flooding in the affected areas as quickly as possible and assist with the clean-up operation."

The company asked anyone who had been affected by out-of-sewer flooding or who required further information to contact NI Water on 08457 44 00 88.

(NE)