Heavy rain has this month caused raw sewage to flood onto the streets in the Lower Ormeau area of south Belfast. The area has suffered from severe flooding several times in recent years, the previous time being in December 2005 when residents were forced from their homes. South Belfast Assembly Member Alex Maskey has blamed the Water Service following the floods which affected River Terrace, Cook Street and Shaftesbury Avenue. He has argued that the measures put in place to avoid the situation had failed, "Despite repeated assurances that there had been improvements in the sewerage infrastructure, we have yet again seen raw sewage flood onto the streets in south Belfast."
The Water Service has responded with the relatively unsatisfactory news that flooding will continue to pose a risk to homes in this area until 2009, when a new sewerage system will be put in place. It is hoped that a £120 million six-mile sewerage tunnel will be ready in two years and will solve the problem. Spokesman William Duddy said, "Over £1.2 million was spent on improving the existing system in 2002, but the area flooded again in 2005. We have been liaising closely with residents and local representatives ever since and we want to make sure they understand where the houses are situated at the high tide level of the River Lagan, and given the current capacity of the system, there will be a risk of flooding in that area."
