YOUTH soccer matches at Dunleath Park in Downpatrick had to be abandoned last weekend after raw sewage seeped onto two pitches.
Games were abandoned ON Saturday and Sunday mornings and Downpatrick Youth Football League officials now face an anxious wait to see how long the pitches will be out of use due to contamination.
League chairman, Mr. Justin Wynn, is angry that a problem which Northern Ireland Water (NIW) promised to address two years ago has raised its head again.
The Down Council-owned soccer pitches have been closed at various times over recent years after they became contaminated with sewage seeping onto the playing surface.
Mr. Wynn said players and officials are bitterly disappointed that sewage has again found its way onto the sports pitches which are used to host junior and senior soccer matches.
“Two games had to be abandoned last weekend to protect the players. It is intolerable that raw sewage can seep onto sports pitches,” he declared.
“This should not be happening. Following the last incident in November two years ago, NI Water held its hands up, admitted responsibility and undertook to address the issue to prevent any repetition. Will it be doing the same this time I wonder?”
Mr. Wynn said there is concern that a pump which directs sewage towards the town’s treatment plant may have failed, resulting in last weekend’s spillage.
“We are responsible for the young players who play at Dunleath every weekend and the decision to abandon last weekend’s games was the right one. The health and safety of the players comes first,” declared Mr. Wynn.
A spokeswoman for NI Water confirmed it had received reports of the incidents at Dunleath Park and that contractors had been sent to the site to investigate the matter. She said as yet, the cause of the spillage was unknown.
The spokeswoman said NI Water is investing £2m at Dunleath Park with work due to start next January, explaining the existing sewerage system allows storm water and sewage to mix before it’s pumped to Downpatrick’s sewage treatment plant.
“The proposed work at Dunleath Park includes closing two combined sewer overflows during exceptional storm events when the capacity of a sewer is overwhelmed,” said the spokeswoman. “The overflow acts as a relief valve, preventing overloading of the network which could flood properties and the wastewater treatment works.”
The spokeswoman said NI Water is also planning to provide a storm water tank adjacent to a pumping station at Russell Park in Dunleath Park and has asked the public to work with it and dispose of inappropriate items in the bin rather than down the sewer.