Met Office defends flood forecast

Many streets in east Belfast were flooded

The Met Office has rejected claims that it should have issued a severe weather warning before floods.

The Department of Finance and Personnel has said an emergency telephone service for reporting flooding was understaffed on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Department said it was because no weather warning was received.

However, the Met Office said there was "nothing exceptional" about the weather.

Senior forecaster John Wylie said the heavy rain could be expected at this time of year.

"We do have strict criteria whereby we issue warnings for heavy rain," Mr Wylie said.

"Yesterday, having done a preliminary analysis, I'm happy that those criteria were not met.

"Really, it raises an ongoing question mark about some aspects of the drainage infrastructure, rather than particularly heavy rain."

The incident line was introduced at the start of the year in an attempt to make reporting serious flooding easier.

A number of roads and streets in Belfast and north Down were flooded due to heavy rain on Monday.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Naomi Long, said some people had to wait 25 minutes for a reply.

"It is not particularly helpful if you have to wait for that length of time," she said.

"It is very frightening for someone who is watching water encroaching on their house and they are sitting on the end of a telephone line in the hope that someone will answer."

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