Yet another mains burst leads to more water disruption in Trim

Irish Water says it is working with Meath County Council to restore water as quickly as possible to all impacted customers following a burst to a water main on the Dublin Road in Trim. Whilst every effort is being made to maintain supply to as many customers as possible the burst is impacting the water supply to customers in Trim Town, Dublin Road, Knightsbrook, Effornock, Old Dublin Road, Maudlins and surrounding areas of Trim.

Dedicated water service crews have mobilised and repairs are underway and are expected to be completed by 5pm this evening. Typically, it takes two to three hours following repairs for normal supply to restore to all customers affected by an unplanned outage.

Michael Cunniffe, Irish Water, commented: “The repairs are being conducted as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimise disruption to the area and restore water for all customers. We understand the inconvenience bursts can have on customers and we appreciate your patience as we work to return normal water supply as quickly as possible.”

Vulnerable customers who have registered with Irish Water receive direct communications from us for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours.

Irish Water understands the inconvenience when bursts occur and thanks customers for their patience while we worked to restore normal supply to all impacted customers. The Irish Water customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.

Irish Water is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.

Meanwhile, a decision by Irish Water to turn down a request by Meath County Council to attend its monthly meeting in Navan to discuss ongoing water outages in the county has been described by one councillor as “chicken”, adds Paul Murphy.

Fine Gael Cllr Noel French used the word during comments on a letter from the water authority stating that it did not have the resources available to attend in person, offering instead to answer queries in a number of other ways – through a dedicated “Local Representative Support Desk by email or phone Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm, or on a special phone number after hours for urgent queries; also through councillor clinics which are held regularly (continuing to be held by zoom until further notice to protect the wellbeing of staff and local representatives)."

Irish Water also said that its regional communications team provided regular updates to local representatives concerning upcoming projects and upgrades in the area. The most recent councillor clinic for Meath was held in 7th February and four councillors attended. The organisation thanked those who attended and said it would be happy to address the queries they raised. Further clinics will be held online on Tuesday this week and on 6th September next.

It added that it was committed to keeping customers informed about supplies on a 23/7 basis and encourages them to engage on Twitter channels, Facebook, Linkedin and on its 1800 number.

Commenting on the Irish Water letter, Cllr French said “I want to say chicken. They are not prepared to come and defend themselves publicly and in a public forum. I have attended every councillors’ meeting and I don’t have a problem putting myself to them there but they seem to want to avoid public accountability. I use that phrase (chicken) because I can’t seem to get answers out of them at times.”