Foul smell in north Down area identified as wastewater flooding into Belfast Lough

NI Water has been working to resolve a blockage near the village after complaints to local elected representatives.

Alliance MLA for the area Andrew Muir said: “This leakage of waste water has not only caused a poor smell within the locality, it also poses a real public health risk. And it is indicative of the lack of investment within our waste water systems.

“It is important that waste water is properly treated before being discharged – raw wastewater affects marine life and the quality of life of residents surrounding the discharge site. I am glad to see that NI Water are rectifying the issues within this specific location and hope normal conditions can be returned without delay.”

Alliance Councillor Martin McRandal said: “Residents were affected as a result of this blockage. I want to thank constituents who got in touch with myself and I also want to thank NI Water for acting once informed of the issues.

“I have worked with Environmental Health Officers in the council to help resolve any ongoing issues as a result of the leakage and will be keeping an eye on this matter to ensure that there are no further pollution incidents.”

Meanwhile NI Water has outlined works to desilt an area in Bangor, projected to conclude in early 2024. The Drainage Area Study aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of network capacity issues for NI Water and help plan future investment.

NI Water said: “We have for some time been advising of the issues across Northern Ireland arising from historic underinvestment in our wastewater infrastructure. We will invest £2.2 billion during PC21, with over £1bn being invested in wastewater assets.

“However, the full scale of wastewater issues will realistically take at least 12 to 18 years, or two to three price control periods, to address.”

Andrew Muir MLA stated “I am pleased to see NI Water taking action to address the recurrent flooding concerns in the Rugby Avenue area of Bangor. These are the right steps being taken by NI Water to reassure residents and businesses within the area.

“The persistent flooding has been a source of distress for residents and local businesses. I appreciate the intervention by both DfI and NI Water but we need sustained interventions to remove the risk of damaging flooding occurring.”