Flash floods misery for Newcastle householders

Flash floods misery for Newcastle householders

11 July 2012 - by David Telford

THE clean-up operation is continuing in parts of Newcastle after severe flooding swamped a number of homes and businesses in the town last week.

The intensity of a huge thunderstorm last Thursday morning was so severe that Down Council declared an emergency in the resort and set up a special team to co-ordinate a major response to help homeowners.

Within 24 hours of the downpour, the council opened an advice centre at the Newcastle Centre to help people affected by the flood, with cheques of £1,000 made available by the Department of Environment handed over to people whose homes had flooded.

One of the worst affected areas was the Burrendale Park Road estate where a number of homes were swamped with flood water. Raw sewage also spilled from manholes at the rear of the properties, covering several gardens.

The main road at the Mourneview estate off the Dundrum Road was under 18 inches of water, while a number of roads in the Tullybrannigan area flooded, with a similar situation at Larchfield Park, Elm-grove Park and Beechfield Park off Bryansford Avenue.

The Lidl store in Railway Street was flooded as was O’Hare’s bar and lounge at Central Promenade, while sports pitches at Donard Park were under several inches of water.

In Castlewellan, a woman who became stranded in her car in a flood was rescued

by firemen, while caravan sites off the Dundrum Road were affected by flooding. A huge amount of soil and stones was washed from fields by heavy rain on to the Middle Tollymore Road, while the Ardaragh Road near Lough Island Reavey reservoir was flooded for a time after two nearby rivers overflowed.

The Roads Service deployed a team of workers to the resort to help clear floodwater with the Mourne View Road area — which is prone to flooding — one of the main areas they concentrated on.

Judy Maguire, who has lived at the estate for 27 years, told reporters it wasn’t the first time this part of the resort has flooded.

The main road outside her home had been transformed into a river with Mrs. Maguire explaining that due to flooding, she has replaced her garden with stones.

She continued: “Everyone across the estate pays their rates and nothing is being done. We tell politicians every year how we feel to no effect.

“We are the worst affected here.”

Politicians who helped residents affected by flooding have joined forces to call for Newcastle to be included in a Stormont-backed flood alleviation initiative.

The £10m scheme is earmarked for the greater Belfast and Cushendun areas, but pressure is mounting locally for Newcastle to now be included as a recognised “flooding hot spot.”

Politicians are also calling for an urgent meeting with officials from a number of key agencies including Northern Ireland Water and the Roads Service to discuss what went wrong last week and how such a situation can be avoided in the future.

They also want a major review ordered of Newcastle’s storm drainage system to ensure a scenario such as the one which unfolded last week isn’t repeated.

Politicians say it’s unacceptable that a number of homes were flooded and residents left counting the cost as a result of a situation which should have been avoided.

They say it’s time for government to take effective action and fix the problem by providing funding to upgrade the resort’s drainage infrastructure.