Flooding misery hits homes

New flooding misery has hit households across the North as heavy rain lashed down overnight.

Up to 20 homes across Counties Armagh, Down and Antrim had to be evacuated after water swept in.

A stretch of the M2 Motorway near Belfast was also closed for a time due to debris falling from an overhead bridge.

With water levels reaching 5ft in some areas, the Fire and Rescue Service was on full alert.

Crews brought in pumping equipment in a bid to drain ground floor residences. Stoneyford in Co Antrim was among the worst hit areas.

Villager Kevin Foxwell claimed flooding was now happening so regularly insurance is impossible.

“This is about the sixth time this place has been flooded,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.

“This house in particular, this is the fourth time. We can’t get insurance for it at all.

“Because we have had two floods within the year, the insurance company rightly won’t cover you. We need the problem fixed, and we need the problem fixed sooner rather than later.”