Holywood mum tells of how panicked son rang her while she was at cancer retreat James and Catherine Mathieson try to stop the flow of water outside their house in Holywood (Photo by Kevin Scott) Catherine Mathieson has recently had treatment for cancer (Photo by Kevin Scott) Sandbags and other barriers were used to try to prevent any more water from reaching the house. (Photo by Kevin Scott) Our man Liam Tunney with Catherine and James Mathieson (Photo by Kevin Scott) A Co Down family were left to pump water away from their home for almost five hours after a water mains burst at the front of the property. Catherine and James Mathieson were alerted to the problem outside their house on Marine Parade in Holywood by their son at around 8am yesterday after he saw that water was beginning to seep inside.
Watch: House flooded as water mains burst in Holywood Mr Mathieson had to return home from his job at the Ulster Hospital, while Mrs Mathieson, who has recently undergone chemotherapy, was forced to cut short a cancer retreat at Hope House in Islandmagee. CCTV footage from their home seen by this newspaper showed the moment shortly before 8am when the mains burst, the cap popping up and water beginning to flow down the sloped pavement towards their home. Mrs Mathieson said she had contacted NI Water immediately, but that the officer sent out said they were unable to help.
“He said they had sent out the wrong person, that he had been told it was a burst sewer,” she explained. �.
