Carrick man tells of flooding misery at shop

A Carrickfergus businessman whose premises were badly flooded has said the damage is running into tens of thousands of pounds.
Severe flooding at Kinnego Marina shopsSevere flooding at Kinnego Marina shops
Severe flooding at Kinnego Marina shops

David Cochrane had only just opened Custom Covers NI at Kinnego Marina on the shores of Lough Neagh when the flooding occurred on January 4.

The company specialises in the design and manufacture of exterior boat covers and interior upholstery.

It was formerly based at Donaldsons Avenue, Boneybefore before moving to Carrickfergus Industrial Centre off the Belfast Road last year.

Speaking to the Times this week, David said: “We had moved down to Kinnego Marina at Lurgan which is a good, central location with a big catchment area.

“We noticed the floodwaters starting to rise [on the Monday] so we were expecting some flooding, but not to this extent.

“At the minute the water has gone down a bit, but there’s still a good six to eight inches in the carpark and in the workshop.”

Meanwhile, business as usual has been suspended at the maritime site due to the continued presence of the floodwaters, which are preventing David and other business owners from using electrical appliances.

“I’ve just been bailing out and trying to move things up out of the water to a higher level,” said David, from the Woodburn Road area of Carrick.

“There’s been about £37,000 worth of damage and I wasn’t covered by insurance as we weren’t in the building yet.

“We’ve been standing in the same depth of water for 15 days; it’s soul-destoying.”

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