Ligoniel vandalism causing concern

18 June 2013 10:48

A spate of vandalism and theft at an NI Water work site at Wolfend Way in Ligoniel poses a risk to health and safety.  Over the last few weeks, there have been a number of incidents of the lids of fire hydrants being removed after the work teams have left for the evening.

These incidents have been occurring on a regular basis, and despite replacing the missing lids, they keep being stolen, with resultant trip hazards to members of the public. NI Water would like to emphasise that any interference with fire hydrants can be extremely dangerous.  

Gavin McGinty, Project Manager at NI Water, explains: “We have had a number of incidents at this site in recent weeks which have caused considerable disruption.  All these incidents result in money being spent to repair and replace the stolen lids, and it is frustrating to be spending funding on replacing equipment and improving site security as a result of vandalism, rather than on investment and improvement programmes.  

“However, what worries us more is the potential for injury arising from the increased trip risk on these streets, and most worrying of all, the risk to life arising from vandalism to fire hydrants.  Health and safety is a major concern for NI Water and our contractors, and we appeal to those involved to stop this activity.

NI Water is appealing to the public in the area to be vigilant and if they have any information or see anything suspicious to contact the PSNI on 0845 600 8000.