The Linen Green shopping complex has opened after repair work which was carried out following damage from Storm Desmond.

Rivers Minister Michelle O'Neill said she has seen how hard businesses have worked to refurbish their stores.

Visiting the complex, she said: "Today my spirits have been lifted as I see how many of the businesses have bounced back. I was particularly impressed by their resilience especially as many were operational a matter of days after the flooding. Linen Green is very much back on its feet."

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The Minister was given a tour of the centre by Fionnula McEldowney, Linen Green Centre Manager and met with various business owners.

She said: "It is little comfort to the 31 businesses here to know that Linen Green did not flood because of any lack of maintenance to the river, but it is important for us to learn any lessons from this event to better prepare us for future storms.

"The grille which blocked during Storm Desmond is inspected and cleared on a routine basis and to provide additional comfort to those who flooded we carry out additional checks in response to weather warnings to ensure the grille is free from blockage before high water levels are experienced."

(CD)