Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has confirmed a £3.6 million investment programme to upgrade the wastewater network in the Bellaghy catchment area.

The announcement was made during a ministerial visit to Bellaghy, where Minister Kimmins was joined by Steve Blockwell from NI Water and Mid Ulster MP Cathal Mallaghan.

The scheme, to be delivered by NI Water, is scheduled to begin this autumn and will take around 12 months to complete.

Minister Kimmins said: "This funding is a boost for Bellaghy and will help to address wastewater issues in the area. Following this programme of work and subject to funding availability, NI Water hopes to take forward a second programme consisting of enhanced base maintenance work at Bellaghy Wastewater Treatment Works at a cost of an additional £2.6 million. The completion of both sets of works would enable NI Water to provide additional wastewater capacity to accommodate new connections in the future.

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"There is no quick fix or easy solution to address the challenges faced by our ageing wastewater system, but this is an example of where we can take steps now to improve things for the future. Funding, innovative thinking and working in partnership are at the heart of my three-pronged approach and I will continue to seek practical and innovative solutions to unlock capacity and deliver a better water and wastewater system to meet the needs of our growing population. Through the implementation of this three-pronged approach, since Autumn 2024, 5300 additional properties in counties Derry, Tyrone and Antrim will be able to connect to the wastewater system. This is above the 4,500 properties NI Water had initially planned to connect within this price control period up to 2027."