Aontú representative calls on Infrastructure Minister and Newry & Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins to personally intervene over recurring sewage flooding
Aontú Newry representative Roisin Mulgrew has called on Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins MLA to personally intervene after residents in Derrybeg were once again confronted with sewage, dirty water and used toilet paper flowing through their street.
Shocking footage from Second Avenue shows contaminated-looking brown water overflowing from drains, with toilet paper and waste deposited along the residential street and outside people’s homes.
Residents have told Mulgrew that the problem has been recurring for three years at least . Sinn Féin have been in charge of the Department for Infrastructure since February 2024.
Roisin Mulgrew said:
“Residents in Derrybeg are sick of being drained by the same old excuses. This is quite literally a s**t problem to have – and after three or four years, nobody can seriously argue that another clean-up is good enough.
These are people’s homes. Children play in these streets. One resident described the situation as “third world conditions”, saying people can be left unable to walk their dogs or even leave their homes when the flooding is at its worst.
Residents should not have to wonder whether the next spell of heavy rain is going to bring sewage, toilet paper and filthy water flowing past their front doors.
What makes this particularly frustrating is that our Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins, isn’t sitting in an office hundreds of miles away from Newry. She is one of Newry’s own MLAs.
Liz has been Infrastructure Minister since February 2025. When she took office she specifically identified improving our sewerage systems and tackling flood risk as priorities. Derrybeg residents are entitled to ask if those commitments are empty words when this is still happening on their doorstep.”
Kimmins took up the Infrastructure portfolio on 3 February 2025. In her first statement as Minister, she acknowledged that improving Northern Ireland’s sewerage systems would require major investment and said wastewater investment would form part of her approach.
Mulgrew continued:
“I am asking the Minister to look personally at what is happening in Derrybeg and give these residents answers.
Who is responsible for fixing the underlying problem? Why has it been allowed to recur for years? What work is required to prevent it? And, crucially, when will that work actually happen?
Sending somebody out to clean up the mess afterwards isn’t a solution. We need to stop the sewage coming up in the first place. We need delivery. Action, not words.”
ENDS