Strabane publican kicks up a stink about broken sewer

A STRABANE publican has hit out at NI Water over its failure to repair a broken sewer running adjacent to his business, saying he is sick of having to deal with recurring blockages and the resulting disruption.

Ronan Stewart, proprietor of Charlie’s Bar in Castle Place, has criticised the statutory body for not resolving an issue that has persisted for several years.

“This particular sewer, which runs past the bar and other businesses in Castle Place and beyond, has been a source of discontent for a long time,” said Mr Stewart. “Every time the sewer gets blocked up, and it has been blocked up about six times in the last year, a strong unpleasant odour fills the whole of Castle Place and in the warm weather, the smell gets much worse.

“Not only that, if the blockages get really bad, the toilets in the bar are known to get severely backed up, resulting in staff having to take time out from serving customers to go into the street and try to clear it. This shouldn’t be our job.

“I am sick of constantly having to call NI Water to come out and unblock the drain. It’s all well and good them doing that, but the blockage only returns; I and I’m sure other business owners, would be much happier if they just fixed the problem altogether.”

In a bid to resolve the issue, Mr Stewart has enlisted the help of councillor Paul Gallagher, who has echoed calls for urgent action.

“The reality is, this issue is down to a broken sewer pipe and, if that was fixed, then businesses in Castle Place wouldn’t be constantly having a strong odour up and down the street,” said Cllr Gallagher.

“Strabane’s sewer infrastructure is very outdated and, instead of fixing the problem, it seems NI Water is just happy to come out, unblock the drain, and wait for the next time.”

NI Water was contacted regarding the ongoing problem. A spokesperson stated, “NI Water is currently addressing concerns raised regarding odour issues in the Main Street area of Strabane. NI Water contractors are scheduled to carry out a desilting and clean out of the sewer to reduce any further odours. This work will be required to take place during out of hours to avoid any traffic congestion on the busy Main Street area.

“Regarding Castle Place, in the last 12 months we have received two odour complaints for Castle Place which was attended to by NI Water technician and as a result cleaning of the sewer was initiated and completed.”