SURVEILLANCE IS INCREASING at Northern Ireland’s main government buildings after “deliberate” attempts to flood toilet facilities.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said he has discovered incidents at Stormont where sinks have been deliberately blocked and taps left running in toilets.

He said there have been a number of such incidents in recent weeks in the historic building, which was built in the 1920s, and particularly in male toilets.

“In one case, the same toilet was flooded a number of times in the same day,” he said.

“Staff have explained that this is being done deliberately, with sinks blocked and taps left running, even though the sinks don’t have plugs.

“These incidents are happening in areas that are only open to Assembly pass-holders, that means MLAs, MLA staff, and Assembly staff.

“Significantly, the public cannot access these areas.”

Gaston said the situation was “absolutely disgraceful”.

“Parliament Buildings is supposed to be the seat of government in Northern Ireland, not a playground for vandalism,” he said.

“The idea that people who work here could be responsible for this sort of behaviour is beyond belief.

“What makes it worse is that it’s taxpayers who are footing the bill for the damage and clean-up. Every time this happens, it costs public money. At a time when services are under pressure, that is completely unacceptable.

“If this sort of behaviour occurred in any other workplace, it would be treated as gross misconduct and Stormont should be no different.

“I very much hope that the guilty party, be they a member of Assembly staff or even an MLA, is brought to book for this vandalism.”

The Assembly Commission emailed MLAs and Assembly staff earlier this week describing the flooding incidents as a “serious matter that could compromise the safety and operational use of Parliament Buildings”.

They said they are increasing surveillance across all floors, and urged anyone with information to report it.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Assembly said: “We can confirm that there have been a number of flooding incidents in the toilet areas of Parliament Buildings over the last few months.

“These incidents have been handled quickly and fortunately, to date, have not resulted in damage or costs.

“However, this is a serious matter which could compromise the safety and operational use of Parliament Buildings and so, as a result of these incidents, we have increased surveillance across all floors.

“We have informed building users and asked them to report any incidents they witness to our building services team, be they accidental or intentional.

“Our priority is to maintain a safe environment for everyone who works in or visits Parliament Buildings.”