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The Southampton County Courthouse closed to the public at noon Friday, Oct. 4, as a result of a sewage leak. The problem was fixed that afternoon, and court operations will resume Monday, Oct. 7.

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday, Southampton County Circuit Court Clerk Richard L. “Rick” Francis confirmed in an email that the courthouse closed due to a sewage leak that came up through some carpet on the first floor. 

“We learned about it from General District staff who came up and told us that their office was closing at noon,” he stated. “Since the second floor toilets fed into the same pipe system, none of the toilets could be used.”

Francis noted that the builder was called, and the builder then called out a technician to come to Southampton to address the problem.

Francis said the problem was fixed at the time of his email, and it “turned out to be some cleaning cloths (that did not dissolve) in the pipes.”

He noted that he does not think the issue will recur, and the courthouse will be ready for court on Monday.