Councillor warns of potential flooding if torrential rain falls on hard land after dry spell

SDLP Councillor Declan Norris issued the warning this week.

He spoke of how surface water flowing down the Ballygudden Road after heavy rainfall had been a major contributory during the disastrous floods which devastated his home village of Eglinton in August 2017.

Colr. Norris issued the warning during a meeting of the Derry City and Strabane District Council Environment and Regeneration Committee.

“We've had dry weather and this is not just for Eglinton this is for the whole town. The lands are now going to be hard. We had rain yesterday [Tuesday] but it didn't come as much as we expected.

"If we get a big downpour of rain we are going to get the exact same thing again. We are going to get regional flooding right across this town,” he said.

DUP councillor Julie Middleton echoed a call by Colr. Norris for flooding to be placed on the agenda at every meeting of the committee.

“It is going on six years now since the first disastrous flooding and I think it needs to be on the agenda every time and I certainly have engaged with many residents as well and they shouldn't have to be living in fear,” she stated.

They made their comments during a discussion of Department for Infrastructure (DfI) plans to develop a Sustainable Drainage Infrastructure Plan (SDIP) and its publication of a new Vision for Living with Water document.

DfI report identifies potential significant flood risk in Derry