The Green party has called on Irish Water to prosecute those who fail to take action on water leaks.
Councillor Ciarán Cuffe of the Green Party has said that Irish Water are not doing enough to compel people to fix long-standing leaks. He said:
“Irish Water needs to be more pro-active in tackling those who fail to tackle leaks on their land. On the day that Irish Water appealed to the public to conserve water their staff informed me that they cannot deal with a long-standing leak at a block of flats in Dublin 7 that has been running onto the public road for over a month. This response is infuriating and clearly inadequate.
“It is clear to me that Irish Water can prosecute private land owners under Section 54. (2) of the Water Services Act 2007 which states that “ The owner of a premises shall ensure that the distribution system of the premises, and all taps connected to it are maintained in such condition as to ensure that water does not leak from the distribution system or any taps connected to it, and shall be responsible for its repair and renewal…’
“I have asked my Dáil colleagues to ask the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to state how many offences have been prosecuted in the last five years by Irish Water for breaches of this section of the Act. If Irish Water aren’t taking their own powers seriously, how can they expect others to do so. I expect action, not platitudes from Irish Water about leaks.
ENDS
