Excellent progress has been made to remove floodwater in Downpatrick today and the NI Fire and Rescue Service has now ceased pumping.
Floodwater within the centre of the town has been successfully removed from Market Street.
At present the River Quoile water level is still very high so the remaining floodwater within Downpatrick and it surrounds is unable to freely discharge into it.
As the River Quoile level continues to fall over coming days, flood water will then be able to drain into it and naturally recede.
Market Street and other roads in the area remain closed. We would appreciate road users to follow the necessary safety messages and diversion routes. The latest information on any road closures is on Trafficwatchni.
Today, Council staff have been deployed as part of the collaborative effort involving multiple agencies, and preparations are in full swing to initiate a substantial clean-up to restore public access to the town centre. Council employees have been actively supporting local businesses and have already initiated certain clean-up tasks, including the operation of road sweepers and the clearance of drainage gullies. Tomorrow, there are plans to remove sandbags from the streets and commence power washing operations.
Notes to editors:
- All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office at: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
- Follow the Department on Twitter @deptinfra on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure and on LinkedIn at DfILinkedIn .
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.