Flooding in Ormeau 'risk' until 2009

Residents of the Lower Ormeau area of south Belfast have been told flooding will pose a risk to their homes until a new sewerage system is put into place in 2009.

The news comes after raw sewage flooded onto streets near the River Lagan.

Roads and pavements in the Lower Ormeau Road, River Terrace, Cook Street, Cook Place and Shrewsbury Avenue were all flooded, which was the latest in a series of incidents.

South Belfast Assembly member Alex Maskey said he was disgusted after the streets were flooded.

“Despite repeated assurances that there had been improvements in the sewage infrastructure we have yet again seen raw sewage flood onto the streets of this part of south Belfast,” he said.

“There were forecasts of heavy rains this weekend yet it appears that there has been a breakdown in whatever pre-emptive measures were supposed to have been put in place to avoid raw sewage flooding the area.”

The Water Service revealed that a £120 million six-mile sewage tunnel will be ready in two years and would solve the problem.

Spokesman William Duddy said £1.2m was spent on improving the system in 2002, however the area flooded again in 2005.

He said: “We have been liaising closely with residents and local representatives ever since.

“We want to make sure they understand that where the houses are situated at the high tide level of the River Lagan, and given the current capacity of the system, there will be a risk of flooding in that area.”

Eleanor Gill from The Consumer Council said the Water Service knew heavy rain was forecast and they should have been prepared.

“We knew there was going to be bad weather, and in the same way that we have to do emergency planning for electricity or gas, surely in this day and age there should have been something in place,” Ms Gill said.

(JM/SP)