Weather leads to flight delays

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings

Passengers flying out of Belfast International airport have faced long delays due to the poor weather conditions.

A flight to Amsterdam was cancelled on Tuesday and passengers spent the night in a hotel.

Earlier, parts of the terminal building were flooded when 15 millimetres of rain fell in 20 minutes.

The airport's director of business development and marketing Uel Hoey said the delays had been caused by problems elsewhere.

Flights were getting back to normal on Wednesday.

Fire Service

Heavy rain caused flooding in areas across Northern Ireland.

The sustained outbreaks early on Tuesday meant problems for motorists.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for counties Antrim and Down.

In some places, half an inch of rain fell in just 30 minutes.

We have had such a rainy season, the water table is absolutely at its peak and once we get any further water it has nowhere to go

Mervyn Rea
Mayor of Antrim

The Fire Service was called to reports of flooding in Banbridge and Newry in County Down and Lurgan in County Armagh.

The Mayor of Antrim, Mervyn Rea, said Tuesday's downpour there was horrendous.

"It makes one think of Noah and the Ark," he said.

"I have never seen rain like it," he said.

"We have had such a rainy season, the water table is absolutely at its peak and once we get any further water it has nowhere to go."

In Lurgan, the heavy rainfall left many streets flooded.

Torrential

DUP councillor Stephen Moutray said houses on Carrick Drive may have to be sandbagged to protect them.

"At the moment the water has not got into the houses but I have been on with the statutory agencies and they are coming out to assess it to see if sandbags need to be put up," he said.

The Met Office at the airport was also flooded and operations had to be handled by other Met Offices in the UK.

The Crew Park Road off the Moira Road was impassable, as was the Old Stone Road between Belfast Road and Kilead roundabout at Muckamore in County Antrim.