Video: Severe flooding leaves Dungannon’s Linen Green under two feet of water

Most of the boutiques and restaurants at the prestigious designer village were forced to close their doors today - one of their busiest Christmas shopping days.

The alarm was raised at around 7.30am with many traders arriving to find their stores swamped with dirty rain water.

Anita Ross, who runs upmarket boutique The Boudoir with her sister Donna, said “everybody has been left devastated” by the flood.

“This was the beginning of our Christmas rush,” she explained.

“There was two feet of rain water in our stock room. It’s all contaminated now and I can’t replace it.”

But as the sisters’ store is on the first floor of the complex, she said they have been luckier than most, as their shop-floor stock can still be sold.

Now she is calling for an investigation into the severe flood so measures can be put in place to prevent it ever happening again.

Management at the Linen Green said today they were working hard with tenants, Mid Ulster Council and the Rivers Agency to get the complex operational as soon as possible during this “crucial time of year for traders”.

“All 31 units were affected by the flood which was caused by a blocked culvert above and behind the shopping village,” said a statement.

“Management and tenants are working hard to ensure that the Linen green is operational as soon as possible with some traders being operational again by Monday morning.

“The management team will continue to work with Mid Ulster Council and the statuary authorities to clear up the damage and to get Christmas trading back on track. This is the collective priority for all at the Linen Green at this time.”

It is understood the Alpha Newspapers office in Moygashel was also affected by the flood.