Belfast: Flooding affecting roads

A number of roads in parts of Belfast have been affected by flooding from heavy rain on Friday.

Police have said the Laganbank Road in the city centre is “not passable” and the Lisburn Road, Boucher Road and Botanic Avenue are also impacted.

Drivers are encouraged to drive slowly, increase their stopping distance and be aware of potential hazards.

A number of Translink services have also been cancelled or diverted.

Shankill Road services are on diversion due to flooding on the lower part of Shankill Road. Services will operate out and in via Carrickhill, Crumlin Road and Agnes Street.

Bangor station will be closed until further notice.

Metro 6C & 6D services are on diversion on the Milltown city-bound route.

Updates can be found on the Translink X (formerly Twitter) page.

Belfast City Cllr Paul Doherty said people in west Belfast were “stranded in their homes” and the flooding was causing “serious risk to residents”.

Doherty said the flooding was not just caused by heavy rain but “long-term neglect in parts of our drainage network”.

Cllr Séamas de Faoite said the council’s street cleansing teams have been out to help, and staff from local businesses have “mucked in to prevent flooding”.

“Ultimately though we need to see rapid action from the Infrastructure Department to make sure drains are cleared quickly so this doesn’t happen again.”