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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Connor Lynch

Homes flood following heavy rain in Belfast

Sewage and water entered a number of properties in South Belfast on Tuesday evening following heavy rain.

Belfast City Council and NI Water attended a number of homes on Great Northern Street on Tuesday, May 17, after water entered them when nearby drains overflowed.

Botanic SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said he was alerted by residents to the flooding, as water started to come in through the rear of their properties and praised the response by agencies who helped remove the water.

Read more: Residents call South Belfast apartments '£6.6m crack den'

He said: "Following the heavy rain on Tuesday evening, some of the drains in the alley behind a few homes on Great Northern Street overflowed causing water to enter their homes.

"While some of the properties manage to keep the water at bay, there were issues with sewage entering the houses that were unable to.

"Thankfully the council and NI Water came to the area very quickly and were able to supply the homes with sandbags and eventually clear the water away."

The councillor said that more work and investment is needed to ensure the drains and sewage systems in South Belfast are cleared.

Councillor McKeown continued: "Drainage issues are a problem across the whole of South Belfast and it is something that needs investment in order to ensure that homes are not affected following heavy rain.

"Sadly, until the Executive is back up and running it will be difficult for that investment to be put in place."

A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “Our emergency co-ordination team and other staff were part of a multi-agency response to flooding issues yesterday evening. Open spaces and street scene staff were assisting other agencies in the delivery of sand bags and clean up.”

NI Water has also been contacted for comment.

Read more: Parts of Northern Ireland experience flooding amid Met Office weather warning

Read more: NI weather forecast as Met Office predicts warm but unsettled conditions

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