Diverted river blamed for flooding in the North

A river diverted to make way for a new multi-million pound underpass on a main Belfast thoroughfare was today believed to have been responsible for the flooding of the new roads scheme.

It was thought to have overwhelmed the culvert it and been channelled through when the North was hit by torrential rain on Saturday afternoon.

Motorists had to be rescued from their cars as vehicles disappeared under 20 feet of water the first time the roads scheme had to cope with a serious downpour.

The Broadway underpass on the Westlink, filled with more than 100 million litres of water in a couple of hours.

Carrying some 70,000 vehicles a day the underpass is a central part of a £115m (€145m) upgrade of the Westlink route through Belfast.

Just last month it was opened with much fanfare a year ahead of schedule with Leo Martin, project manager for construction firm HMC, saying the realignment of the Clowney River to the south of the underpass had allowed them to complete the work early.

It now looks as if that river overflowing was the cause of the flooding.

As huge pumps were still being used to empty out the water – enough to fill 40 Olympic sized swimming pools – HMC were looking at what went wrong.

Mr Martin said it seems clear that the cause of it was the adjacent river that overflowed.

He said 57mm of rain fell in a few hours – 70% of the total expected for the month – and the river diversion had been unable to cope.

Mr Martin said culverts had been created to withstand once in 100 years flooding, with additional capacity to cope with global warning.

He added: “Such was the deluge that it was greater than anyone expected.”

The contractors – who are responsible for maintaining the new road system for the next 30 years – are preparing a report for the Department of Regional Development’s Road Service setting out what happened – and they will have to say what measures they plan to ensure it doesn’t flood again.

Minister Connor Murphy said: “Obviously there’s a very serious failing when flash flooding is able to close that junction and fill up that underpass with water.

“We will need to ascertain what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

As the water level in the underpass dropped during pumping operations, it exposed tonnes of mud up to two feet deep.

Diggers were used to remove the mud and workmen hosed down walls and road surface of the underpass to clean things up for an expected re-opening tomorrow.

Clearing up operations continued across the North with householders whose homes were flooded told they could apply for emergency Government aid of £1,000 (€1,269) to help them through the early days of their personal crisis.

Ministers don’t yet know how many were affected, certainly hundreds, quite possibly thousands.

Finance Minister in the North Nigel Dodds gave assurances to ministerial colleague, Environment Minister Sammy Wilson, there would be enough funds available for a scheme of emergency relief.

He said: “This has been a terrible weekend for many families who have seen their homes badly affected by flooding.

“Only those who know the misery of such a situation can rightly imagine the stress and worry that these families are experiencing.”

Families had had to deal with a lot of misery over the last few days, he said. “They now need practical help, advice and support to re-establish their homes and normal life”.

Mr Wilson went out and about visiting those affected.

He said ministers had agreed to channel the aid though district councils – as was done after flooding in June last year.

The minister said: “I have been in contact with colleagues in the Executive and we are in agreement that funding should be made available through local councils to help people most severely affected to get back on their feet again and to assist them in ensuring their homes are habitable.”

Meanwhile more rain fall and weathermen warned of yet more to come rights across Northern Ireland.

As they did so the Belfast – Dublin Enterprise express train service was disrupted by flooding near Portadown, Co Armagh – where the local Craigavon Council said at least 60 homes had been flooded and there were concerns over the River Bann bursting its banks.