McGrath welcomes repairs to drainage works at Grahamville Estate in Kilkeel
South Down MLA SDLP Colin McGrath has welcomed confirmation from NI Water that essential drainage works at Kilkeel’s Grahamville Estate have been completed and said he hopes this prevents future flooding incidents.
He added: “I have been working closely with NI Water over the last number of months to see the necessary repair works to a collapsed sewer line at the entrance to the Grahamville estate.
“Upon investigating, this it was found that a number of rocks had fallen into the pipe and major repair works were required.
“An initial dig of a 1-metre hole then had to be widened to 3metres which indicates the extent of the work required.
“However, I am delighted to say that this repair work has been completed. I want to thank NI Water for completing the work and local residents for bringing this to my attention initially.
“This should not only have a positive impact on sewage flow in the area but also, will prevent any future flooding.
“Unfortunately, in the last year we saw heavy rainfall coupled with the major blockage in this pipe which resulted in a number of homes in Grahamville suffering from flooding. Fortunately this has now been addressed.
“The need for an upgrade to Northern Ireland’s sewage infrastructure has never been greater, and I hope to see the Executive bring forward a necessary budget to see this delivered over the next ten years.
Colin McGrath added: “In the meantime as a local MLA I will continue to represent the public to our public bodies when they encounter issues such as this.”
