Sewage Is A Drain On Business

A Lisburn businessman has been 'up to his eyes in it' this week dealing with raw sewage seeping into his premises.

In what turned out to be a problem caused by a blocked sewer, Jim McCann of Dunmurry Upholstery said he fears if the problem is not sorted his stock could be completely ruined and he fears a repeat as this is already the fourth time in a few months it has happened.

"I have £80,000 worth of stock and if raw sewage got anywhere near it, it would be totally ruined," he said.

"This normally happens in the winter when there is a lot of rain but on Monday it was lovely so you can imagine the smell that day.

"How are you supposed to have a business when there is raw sewage like that getting into your premises? It is just scandalous. How much more am I supposed to take of this?"

A spokesperson for NI Water said they had to use specialised equipment to remove items from the public sewer to resolve the problem.

He said: "Northern Ireland Water is not aware of any underlying fault in the drainage system in Barbour Gardens.

"NI Water teams were on site and discovered a blockage in the public sewer which proved extremely difficult to remove and specialist equipment had to be employed.

"This was a compacted blockage caused by inappropriate materials being placed down the sewer including balls and bottles. NI Water will undertake a thorough investigation of the sewer line to rule out any underlying defect or cause.

"NI Water would like to ask the public to help us keep drains and sewers in good condition by ensuring inappropriate items are not dumped down drains."

(BMcC)