Kilwilke sewer fury

The green at Lurgan Tarry was awash with human waste on Sunday and Monday and the stream of sewer water flowed down Levin Road as far as the shops and nearby nursery school.

Poor infrastructure has been blamed for the overflow, which a local councillor has described as a major health hazard.

However, NI Water put the flooding down to a blockage caused by a piece of wood.

Sharon McCann, whose house backs on to the bubbling sewer, said: “This is two or three times in the last year this has happened. It started yesterday morning. The smell of it last night was something shocking.”

Sharon, who has been living at Lurgan Tarry for 12 years, added: “You can’t send kids out with all that lying about.”

Community leader Michael Tallon stated: “There’s too much pressure on the sewers. The infrastructure here can’t take it.

“I see them (NI Water contractors) nearly every day blowing out somebody’s sewer.”

Regarding the latest flooding incident Mr Tallon said: “It’s slowed down a bit since yesterday (Sunday). Lucky enough the grass is catching the thick bits of it.

“It’s right the way down there to the shops where kids are standing about after school. Every car that comes in here is driving through it.”

“It’s a major health hazard,” said Sinn Fein Councillor Noel McGeown, who was scathing in his criticism of NI Water’s ‘inept’ handling of the sewage problem in Kilwilke.

He claimed they were lackadaisical in both the time frame within which they responded to a health hazard and the casual way in which they disregarded the need for the road and grass area surrounding the manhole to be cleaned and disinfected.

He also accused NI Water of poor managerial practice in that they were dealing with the symptoms of the problem and failing to rectify the cause.

A spokesperson from NI Water told the ‘MAIL’ on Tuesday: “We attended an overflowing manhole in the Kilwilke Estate on Monday. The team are returning today (Tuesday) to complete the clean up of the area.

“The cause of the problem was found to be a piece of timber blocking the sewer. Planks of wood and clumps of trees have been found in this and nearby sewer lines over recent months.

“What may seem like harmless fun is in fact vandalism and is causing damage and upset to local residents who have to live with the effects of an overflowing manhole near their homes. This vandalism is also taking up valuable resources which could be invested in local water and wastewater services.”

NI Water appealed to the community to help by reporting acts of vandalism to the appropriate authorities. Blocked sewers can be reported to Waterline on 08457 440 088.