Bottled water distributed to housing-estate residents complaining of ongoing supply fault

Residents of a housing estate in Dunshauglin, Co Meath, have criticised Uisce Éireann for leaving them without any water for more than three days over the weekend. The situation got so bad for people living in The Willows that the utility had to resort to delivering bottled water to homes on Saturday. Residents in the estate, where about 500 homes have been built in recent years, said the latest incident was not the first time there have been issues with their water supply.They said they have been forced to live with extremely low or no water pressure as well as water discolouration on and off for a number of months. READ MORELola Denuga bought a house two years ago and told The Irish Times that there have been “ongoing and repeated water disruptions” from day one. “We are regularly left without access to water for extended periods, often for several days at a time, without any prior notice, communication or clear information regarding the cause of the disruption or when the issue will be resolved,” she said. The latest incident is among the most extreme, Denuga said – the water supply was cut off at about 6pm on Thursday and there was still no sign of it being restored by Saturday evening. “This situation is extremely frustrating and unacceptable, particularly as I have a small child in the household and access to a reliable water supply is an essential requirement for basic health, hygiene and daily living,” she said.On Friday she was left with no option but to buy 25 litres of bottled water from a local supermarket, and this was almost completely used within 24 hours. Another resident , who asked not to be identified, said those living there “feel that their concerns are simply not being taken seriously”. “After six months of repeated disruption, the absence of a meaningful response has left people feeling ignored and, frankly, as though their complaints are being treated as a mockery rather than a serious public-service issue,“ the person said.A third Willows resident said the supply issues were having “a significant impact on families living in the estate. We have toddlers, school-going children and working parents who are being left without a reliable supply of water for basic necessities such as washing, cooking, drinking and even flushing toilets.”A spokeswoman for Uisce Eireann said its operations team only became aware of “an issue affecting water pressure for a small number of customers in The Willows” on Saturday morning and that it was being treated as a priority. The spokeswoman said the “issue has not resulted in a loss of water supply [but] has impacted water pressure for some customers”.She said investigations were continuing, adding that the utility had “arranged an alternative water supply for affected customers and have provided bottled water to vulnerable customers”. She encouraged customers experiencing low water pressure or other difficulties with supply to contact Uisce Éireann’s customer care team. “This helps ensure that any issues are logged promptly and enables our team to provide support and updates directly to affected customers,” she said. She also encouraged customers to register their contact details with Uisce Éireann to receive direct updates about their local water supply, including service alerts and planned or unplanned disruptions.