Dublin residents warned to let taps run after water issues fixed overnight

Water pressure should be returning to normal at tens of thousands of properties across Dublin following repairs to a major main, but those affected by the issue are being advised to let their taps run to flush out any discolouration.

Work to fix the damaged high-pressure main on Marrowbone Lane in Dublin 8 led to reduced pressure and water shortages across the city centre and surrounding suburbs on Thursday. The problem extended from Dolphin’s Barn through Kilmainham and across the river Liffey to Clontarf and Raheny.

Uisce Éireann said on Friday that the repairs were completed at around 2am. Following this, the utility firm said, the water supply was switched back on and began to refill the vast network of pipes across the city.

Pressure will take time to return to normal as the network refills in all areas, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network, a spokeswoman said.

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Uisce Éireann operations manager Margaret Attridge said supply had been restored to the 42,000 households and businesses that had been affected.

Despite water being discoloured for affected customers, she said it is drinkable and there is no boil notice in place.

“It’s not that it’s not safe to drink, but it’s not very pleasant to drink. So you run your tap and that should clear it. It should be very localised,” Ms Attridge added.

She said the issue had not been a burst main, but rather a fitting on top of a pipe laid 40 years ago sheering off. Incidents such as this happen around once a year, she said.

“What we’re trying to do is build up that resilience in our network so we can have that alternative route where we can feed water to different areas,” she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. “But we are investing over a quarter of a billion every year in our leakage reduction programme and replacing pipes. And we have seen leakage reduced in the Dublin area significantly over the last three or four years because of the efforts in that area.”

Joe O’Reilly of Uisce Éireann said in a statement: “We understand how disruptive unplanned outages are for local communities and would like to thank all impacted customers across Dublin for their patience during while crews worked on repairs.”

Customers experiencing further issue should can call a helpline on 1800 278278.