Vandalism poses serious risk to the community

28 October 2010 14:46

NI Water is appealing to the public and local representatives to help prevent further theft of road signs at work sites in the Co Down area. To date, over 50 signs have been stolen from the sites.

NI Water is currently carrying out vital work across Co Down as part of a £100 million programme aimed at upgrading the water main infrastructure. Once complete, this work will bring major benefits to the local community, including fewer leaks and bursts.

Over recent weeks, however, 50 road signs have been stolen from our sites. The road signage is a vital way of warning motorists and pedestrians of the ongoing work and also of road closures and diversions. Stealing these signs may, at best, lead to inconvenience to road users or, at worst, result in a road traffic collision.

NI Water representative Gary Curran, explained:

"While such actions may be considered harmless fun, NI Water would like to stress that there are serious risks involved with the removal of these signs.

The signs are there to warn road users of the ongoing work and provide important information to the community. The biggest risk of removing these signs would be the potential for a road traffic collision.

We would appeal to those involved to think about their behaviour and stop immediately.”

The cost of repairing the damage is also a factor. Replacing the stolen signs creates a needless drain on resources that could be better used to improve services to the local community.

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.