Frequent water outages in south Tipperary mean that Uisce Éireann is a 'Frankenstein'

Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, should pay households and businesses for water outages, a local politician has claimed.

Since the election of the current Tipperary County Council three and a half years ago, controversy had been dominated by “the Frankenstein that is Irish Water,” Cllr Niall Dennehy told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

Water outages were a daily occurrence without any accountability.

He said that the water utility company was subvented under the public service obligation and was in receipt of commercial water charges, and penalties should apply for non-performance.

He said that Uisce Éireann needed to deliver a better service to the public and businesses alike.

He said his request that households should be paid €100 a day, or a part of that amount, for water outages, and that a pro-rata payment would be paid to business customers similarly affected, would focus minds to deliver a better service.

The water utility company had a public service obligation that it wasn’t fulfilling.

When Cllr Siobhán Ambrose described Cllr Dennehy’s request (which he presented in the form of a motion at the meeting) as a futile exercise, he replied that “every motion from this lollipop of a committee (the Borough District) is futile”.

District Mayor Pat English supported Cllr Dennehy’s request and said that pressure needed to be put on Uisce Éireann and the Government to deliver a better service.

Last Christmas restaurants, shops and pubs in Clonmel had to close because of water outages, and households were also affected, he said.

Cllr Ambrose said they were all aware of these frequent outages in Clonmel, and they were also happening in other areas of the county and country. It was up to the Commissioner for the Regulation of Utilities to deal with these matters.

She said Cllr Dennehy’s request was a futile exercise because the move to introduce domestic water charges to pay for the infrastructure hadn’t happened.

The Monroe water supply would be extended in 2026 and funding had been approved for a booster station on Coleville Road, which would support households affected by water outages on the Mountain Road.

Cllr Ambrose said that Clonmel’s water infrastructure needed investment.

Cllr Michael Murphy said he was as frustrated as Cllr Dennehy about outages, and it was the biggest challenge they faced in and around Clonmel.

He was concerned that Cllr Dennehy’s proposal would focus the minds of Uisce Éireann on the reintroduction of water charges and he wouldn’t support that.

Cllr John FitzGerald described the request as “nonsensical” and he wasn’t surprised but “a little disappointed” that the District Mayor had seconded Cllr Dennehy’s motion.

He agreed that Uisce Éireann needed to get its act into gear and give a proper service.

Earlier at the meeting he had called for the company to invest in the Poulavanogue natural water intake and storage facility, which would give Clonmel a proper supply.

Cllr FitzGerald said that he was also totally opposed to the introduction of water charges.

He fully supported the control of Uisce Éireann being kept in public ownership. He knew of someone living in Kent in England who had started paying Kent Water 300 pounds a year for water, and now it was 2,400 pounds.

Cllr Dennehy’s motion was defeated by three votes to two. It was supported by Cllrs Dennehy and English and opposed by Cllrs Ambrose, Murphy and FitzGerald.