Monday, January 6, 2014

Flood alert for NI coastal areas

Flood alert for Northern Ireland's coastal areas

Portrush shoreline on Monday morning The shoreline at Portrush, County Antrim, on Monday morning

High tides and strong winds are causing difficult driving conditions on some parts of Northern Ireland's east coast, but Belfast has escaped major flooding.

It follows a police warning of a possible tidal surge on Monday afternoon.

A small number of roads in counties Antrim and Down have been closed due to floods, and some schools closed early.

Police have warned people to avoid coastal areas for the rest of Monday due to large waves and poor weather.

In County Down, Holywood Esplanade has been closed because of flooding and Newcastle promenade is shut due to "adverse weather conditions".

The A2 Coast Road through Carnlough village in County Antrim and a section of the Coast Road between Drains Bay and Ballygally were closed for a short time due to floods but have since reopened.

However, police are advising motorists to avoid the Coast Road from Larne to Carnlough over the next few hours due to high tides.

Shortly before 15:00 GMT, Belfast Lord Mayor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir tweeted that the tide had turned and he congratulated those who worked to ensure the city "stayed dry and safe".

Thousands of sandbags have been given out in east Belfast in recent days.

Alliance MP Naomi Long paid tribute to the services and agencies for their "swift response" to the situation over the weekend.

In County Down, police have set up a "multi-agency response group" at Ardmore PSNI station in Newry.

It follows flooding on the Shore Road between Warrenpoint and Rostrevor during high tide on Sunday.

Officers said sandbags are available for collection at Newry sports centre, Warrenpoint fire station, Kilbroney forest park in Rostrevor, Kilkeel leisure centre, and Marine Park in Annalong.

A2 coast road at Warrenpoint Big waves flooded the road between Warrenpoint and Rostrevor on Sunday

Down District Council said sandbags can be collected from its depot on Strangford Road, Downpatrick, and from Bann Road recycling centre in Castlewellan until 16:00 GMT.

Sandbags were also put in place in Londonderry city centre as a precaution, but fears have eased, following a high tide on Monday morning.

Derry city centre manager Jim Roddy said: "Sandbags were necessary. There were fears that the River Foyle would burst.

"Preparations were kept in place for this morning and we were constantly getting updates from the PSNI, Foyle Port and Harbour and other emergency services.

"In 2004 we had a disaster at Victoria Market near the pumping station and we didn't want that again," Mr Roddy added.

All ferry sailings between Rathlin and Ballycastle have been cancelled on Monday due to weather conditions.

Elsewhere in the UK, the Met Office has also issued yellow alerts for the west coast of Britain.

In the Republic of Ireland, the west coast is expected to see some of the strongest gusts on Monday.

Some streets in central Cork were impassable for a time on Monday morning as the River Lee burst its banks again, but the water has since receded.

Met Éireann (the Irish Meteorological Service) has issued its second highest alert for wind.

A status orange, which means to be be prepared for possible disruption, is in place for Wexford, Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford.

Gusts of up to 100 to 120km per hour could hit exposed coastal areas.

Anyone who wishes to report flooding can call a flooding incident line on 0300 2000 100 or the police non-emergency line on 0845600 8000.


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