HOUSEHOLDERS in Raheen are furious that not only will they have to pay water charges but will also have to spend more money to fix leaks caused by Government contractors.
According to residents of the Cedar Downs estate, J Murphy & Sons, who are installing the water meters throughout Limerick, have actually installed meters that are leaking.
They claim that when they complained to the company about the leaks, they were told that the leaks were on their side of the meter and therefore their responsibility.
Fianna Fail local election candidate for Limerick City West, Geraldine Leddin, has criticised Irish Water for installing leaking water meters in the estate. She said it was bad enough that people didn’t know the full extent of the water charges they will face from October, never mind the fact that Irish Water are actually causing leaks.
“This is a disgraceful situation that cannot be tolerated. I thought this initiative was meant to be a conservation measure. Instead the Government contractors appear to be causing leaks and then taking no responsibility for their actions.
“Residents are already very annoyed that they have no clear idea whatsoever what their bills will be for the provision of water from October. So far, about €800 million of taxpayers’ money has been pumped into the establishment of Irish Water; the removal of assets from local authorities; the water metering process and the framework for charges.
“Not one cent has been spent on fixing leaks and now they are actually causing leaks,” she said.
Irish Water told the Limerick Post that it was always anticipated that in the course of installing a meter, pre-existing leaks and other latent defects, due to the age or condition of the water pipes, would be discovered.
A spokesperson said that it is not accurate to say that these leaks are caused by Irish Water contractors or by the meters being installed.
“The meter installation programme gives Irish Water a strong starting point for mains rehabilitation by enabling the discovery of pre-existing leaks and helping to target more effective investment in leak repair.
“With regard to the Cedar Downs estate in Raheen, Irish Water can confirm that, to date, only three meters and meter boxes were installed in January. One complaint was received on April 24 about a possible leak and this was immediately investigated by Irish Water with the householder involved.
“The result of this investigation has since shown that there is no leak at the property,” the spokesperson concluded.
