Northern Ireland flooding: Businesses without insurance lose Christmas stock - Downpatrick, Portadown and Antrim hit

Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council said some 50 houses across the borough had been flooded, with some families having to sleep in Portadown Town Hall.

Many businesses in Newry City Centre have been badly hit. Some rivers in Northern Ireland reached record high levels following several days of heavy rain.

While the region avoided the worst of Storm Ciaran which battered the south of England and the Channel Islands, work is under way to repair damage following bad weather earlier in the week.

On Thursday morning, the train line between Portadown and Dundalk was closed, while bus services were suspended in Downpatrick due to flooding in the town.

The Department of Infrastructure said partners such as the Red Cross are working with a range of multi-agencies in the worst affected areas to support communities as they try to rebuild their lives and livelihoods after these "often difficult, complex and traumatic experiences".

It said that partners from across the Northern Ireland Civil Service, PSNI, Local Government, NI Fire and Rescue Service, NI Ambulance Service, the Health Service and Coastguard are working alongside the Red Cross to provide support in the areas affected by this week’s floods.

Hugh Press, Director of Alexander Reid Estate Agents in Downpatrick, told the News Letter: "All my life I have never seen flooding like this. The rain has been abnormal, coming down the Quoile River from Ballynahinch."

"The flood levels are still rising," he said on Thursday morning.

"It has closed the town down. Buses can't get out and there is no trade. It has nearly stopped everything. The Belfast and Quoile Roads are both closed."

He has had six businesses asking for help with finding temporary premises.

"Coming up to Christmas, they have all their stock in and everything is ruined. It is going to be a sorry tale and they probably weren't insured because they're in a floodplain, just as happened in Newry."

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said there were "apocalyptic scenes" in the town and that 25 businesses have been "decimated", the BBC reported.

The Department for Infrastructure described “significant flooding” in Downpatrick, adding it may not be able to work to reduce the flood water until Friday when river levels have dropped.

It said teams were out overnight to respond to flooding and protect properties in a number of areas across counties Down and Armagh, particularly in Newry, Newcastle and Portadown.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Alderman Margaret Tinsley told the News Letter: “This is a deeply distressing time for many of our residents and businesses, with unprecedented flooding impacting large parts of our borough. I want to assure everyone impacted that the Council is doing everything possible to assist with the emergency response.

“An Emergency Support Centre was setup on Tuesday evening at Portadown Town Hall for those who had to leave their homes. Council officers have been working continuously over the past number of days as part of the multiagency response and recovery to the flooding situation, assisting elected members, the Department for Infrastructure, PSNI, and the Trust.”

The Garvaghy Road, Tandragee Road and Armagh Road areas of Portadown have been hit. In Banbridge, Burnview Terrace, Tullylish Road suffered flooding and in Dromore, Mossvale Terrace.

In Armagh Tullymore Road and Drumsill Park were affected.

The BBC reported that some parts of Portadown are completely cut off and that the council is delivering portaloos to housing developments and that some people are running out of food.

Rodney Watson, from Watson Autos, recovered more than 20 vehicles from floodwaters.

In Portadown Town centre, Meadow Lane - a major shopping area just next to the River Bann, was badly flooded with roads closed off.

Tesco has a major outlet in the area. A spokesperson said: “Our Portadown Superstore is open and serving customers as normal. However, the carpark and some of the roads in the area are flooded so customers should arrive on foot or park in a safe area. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

An alderman has witnessed river water flooding in the back doors of homes in Antrim.

UUP Alderman Paul Michael told the News Letter: "People were moving out of their homes, in Riverside and Nazarene Street in particular. I was at four homes sitting on the river bank and the water was coming in the back door."

He also saw unprecedented flooding in Templepatrick the same day.

"It was something completely different altogether,” he said. “The areas around the traffic lights are in the right in the middle of the village of Templepatrick was a no-go area from about 9:30am on Wednesday right through into the afternoon.

"The whole place was just impassable. It was unprecedented." Roads were also closed due to flooding in nearby Dunadry village he said.

UUP infrastructure spokesperson, John Stewart MLA, joined with his party Councillor David Taylor from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, in responding to the flooding “havoc” of recent days.

“The scenes we have witnessed in recent days have been unbelievable,” Mr Stewart said. “For areas to have seen three inches of rain fall in a 24-hour period is totally unprecedented.”

He added: “There is an urgent need for the Department for Infrastructure to undertake a review of the flood defence measures across all areas impacted, particularly in those areas, such as Newry, that were so badly damaged.”

The Department of Infrastructure says the Civil Service, PSNI, Local Government, Fire and Rescue Service, Ambulance Service, NHS Coastguard and Red Cross are supporting areas which have been impacted.