Vandalism at South Street Pumping Station poses a serious risk
15 December 2010 8:41
The site was broken into recently and an emergency lorry tanker vandalised with lights, windscreen and mirrors smashed. NI Water’s Mark Consiglia, highlights the consequences of such actions:
"NI Water cannot stress enough the serious consequences this kind of damage could have on the local community. Not only is this equipment costly to repair and replace, it is used for emergency situations such as flooding which can occur at this time of year. With this emergency equipment now out of action, our ability to react to such incidents will be hindered. We now face a situation where our tanker is out of service for a month, at a time when it is of greatest need.
The South Street pumping station is essential to the drainage of Newtownards and if this damage had included the pumping station itself, it could have resulted in severe sewer flooding, pollution, or worse, toilets in the area backing up into homes. There is also a safety implication for those carrying out this vandalism; these installations present significant hazards and must be only used by trained staff."
"We would appeal to those involved to think about their behaviour and stop immediately."
Work to repair this equipment creates a needless drain on extremely limited resources that could be better used to improve services.
NI Water needs the help and support of the whole community to protect these vital resources and is calling on those engaging in these acts to cease immediately.
To report an incident at any NI Water site, please phone Waterline on 08457 440088.