Residents suffering the effects of the ongoing water problems in Galway have been warned not to allow fake water workers into their homes after it emerged that criminals are taking advantage of the situation.
In a twist to the contamination episode that is now entering its fourth week, Cllr Michael Crowe said he had been contacted by householders in Galway city who had been targeted.
All had received phone calls from men claiming to be from the water board and asking for entry to their homes to check the supply. They were told they would need to leave the house while the work took place but they would receive a voucher as compensation for the inconvenience.
"It's complete nonsense. I presume they are burglars. They see an angle to the water that most of us wouldn't have thought of," he said yesterday. "I would be worried that some people, especially older people, may be taken in by this scam . . . If they have any doubts about the person they should first check with city hall."
Meanwhile, the number of people confirmed by laboratory tests to have caught the cryptosporidium bug appears to be levelling off. The number now stands at 178, up four from Thursday.
The negative publicity does not appear to have affected the tourist trade over the bank holiday weekend. Hoteliers reported numerous inquiries but very few cancellations.
"There have been some domestic cancellations but the story hasn't broken internationally, so we're not worried at this stage," said Fiona Monaghan of Fáilte Ireland West.
All members of the Irish Hotels Federation in the Galway area have agreed to supply bottled water in guest bedrooms for brushing teeth.
Cllr Pádraig Conneely (FG) has called on the city council to bring in experts from the US to remedy the problem.
"They had an even bigger outbreak 14 years ago and had it resolved in just two weeks. We've been spending €25,000 a week on testing and still haven't found the source four weeks later," said Mr Conneely.