Floods are blamed on water firm

Floods are blamed on water firm

3 July 2013

A HUGE surge in water pressure has left a number of homeowners in Ardglass with repair bills running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Water pipes burst, hot tanks cracked and bathroom shower fittings were blown off walls during the shocking incident which caused damage to at least seven homes.

One resident was on holiday in France when the build up of water pressure in her home caused pipes to burst, leaving her with a repair bill of £20,000.

Leaking water brought Carrie Teggart’s livingroom ceiling crashing to the floor and other rooms in her Kildare Street house were also damaged. The water had been pouring out of upstairs pipes for around eight hours before her son arrived and switched off the mains supply.

Holidaymakers at Coney Island caravan park near Killough reported “strange noises” coming from their water supply and a number of leaks below their mobile homes at the same time residents in Ardglass were experiencing problems with their water pressure.

Plumbers who carried out emergency repairs to the Ardglass homes discovered that the water pressure was over four times higher than normal.

NI Water insists the increased pressure was at a level that should not have caused any problems to internal pipes and fittings and maintains the pressure level is “well below industry maximum standards.”

However, a spokesman for the organisation did admit that necessary repair work it is carrying out in the Ardglass area did lead to a “slight” increase in water pressure for customers. NI Water has apologised for any inconvenience its work may have caused.

Residents whose homes have been damaged are in the process of meeting with insurance assessors to have the necessary repair work carried out and are angry at what happened.

Mrs. Teggart believes she may be out of her home for several months to allow repair work to be completed and revealed electrical appliances, including her television, have been ruined by water.

“The water was flowing in my home for about eight hours and when my neighbours detected something was wrong they contacted my son who was able to switch off the mains supply,” she explained.

“A large part of the ceiling in the livingroom was brought down, my furniture has been ruined and my repair bill will be in the region of £20,000. Upstairs floors and carpets will also have to be replaced.”

A resident who lives at Tennis Cove in Ardglass said his property sustained “extensive damage” after the increased water pressure burst pipes during the early morning of June 25.

The man, who did not want to be named, explained he was dozing in a downstairs chair when he was wakened by “banging and clattering” followed by what he described as a noise similar to a small explosion.

He continued: “I ran into the utility room and the water was gushing everywhere. Seconds later the house was plunged into darkness when the power went out. I opened the blinds and used my car lights to see into the house by which stage the flooding was extensive. It also took me a while to locate the shut off valve for the mains supply.”

The resident said a number of pipe fittings were blown off while the force of the water pressure ripped a shower fitting from a bathroom wall.

He added: “My insurers plan to contact NI Water about what happened. The incident left me with no running water, shower or toilet facilities and I intend to have my plumber carry out a pressure test on the water system in my home to make sure there are no other leaks.”

• NI Water is encouraging anyone in the Ardglass area who has a complaint to contact the Waterline number 08457 44 00 88 to have the matter investigated.