A £2 million flood scheme has been launched in Ballymena.

The NI Water project will address historical internal and external 'out of sewer' flooding issues in the Toome Road/Wakehurst Road area of the Antrim town. The capacity of the existing sewerage system will be significantly increased across an 18-month work programme.

BSG is serving as main contractor for this major programme of work with McAdam Design providing Project Management and technical support.

David McClean, NI Water Project Manager, said: "We at NI Water are delighted that this major investment at Toome Road is now well underway, which will bring many improvements to our customers, including improving the local sewerage infrastructure and providing additional storage during periods of heavy rain, which will substantially reduce the risk of future flooding. 

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"The project involves the upgrade of existing sewers, as well as the installation of new sewers on Wakehurst Park, Wakehurst Road, Queen Street and Toome Road. Construction of a large storage tank is also underway on land adjacent to the council playing fields at Wakehurst Road. 

"NI Water will continue to work with all our local stakeholders regarding the programming and traffic management arrangements for these works and would like to thank the public for their patience and cooperation while we complete this essential scheme."

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Council Councillor Maureen Morrow added: "The Council welcomes this major investment for Ballymena, which will greatly improve services for NI Water customers in the local area.

"I was impressed to see great construction progress at the storage tank, which will help protect the local sewerage infrastructure and reduce the risk of future flooding."

(CM/JG)