NI Water Condemns Serious Attack on Workmen

16 May 2014 14:33

NI Water has condemned a serious attack on one of their contractors which took place this morning (16th May) in the Ladbrook Drive area of North Belfast.

At around 9.30 am, a number of masked men and carrying iron bars approached contractors who are undertaking work as part of the £10 million upgrade of watermains across North and West Belfast.

The men proceeded to smash the lorry with the bars and used an acroprop to smash the windscreen and then set the lorry alight. The lorry has been badly damaged. There are no reports of any injuries being caused as a result of the attack. The PSNI and the Fire Brigade attended the scene.

An NI Water spokesperson commented,

“In the interests of health and safety NI Water has been forced to withdraw its contractors from the area following this serious attack.  Our paramount concern is the safety of our workers and we will not put them in danger. The contractor was working on a £10 million scheme to improve the supply of water in the area, this attack is completely unwarranted, unprovoked and unnecessary. Our teams are there working for the good of the community to provide a safe and reliable service.

“The real shame of this situation is that it will be the local community who will suffer because of the mindless destruction of a few.

“The water mains rehab work which is presently being undertaken by NI Water is solely concerned with the improvement of the quality of water being delivered to our customers and the reduction of interruptions and leakage on the system.
 
“I would urgently appeal to the local community and their representatives to unite with us in ensuring the safety of our staff and their equipment.”