Galway left high and dry by water company

Galway householders could be left high and dry if their water supply is cut off at weekends or out of hours.

It has emerged that there is no service agreement with workers in Galway County Council and that is why there is no emergency number for residents in the county.

Galway is one of just five counties in the country where home owners cannot access assistance in the event of an emergency.

Workers who used to carry out emergency out of hours repairs when Galway County Council ran the water services have no agreement with Irish Water.

There are now demands that this situation be resolved and particularly at this time of year when pipes can burst due to icy conditions and houses become flooded.

A meeting of the Tuam Municipal Authority was informed by Director of Services Liam Gavin that Galway was one of just five counties in the country that did not have an emergency telephone in the event of a problem.

In the event of householders having their supply is cut off at night or at the weekends, there is no way they can find out why the water was cut off or when it might be restored.

Cllr Sean Canney said it was a very unsatisfactory situation. He believed that money was at the root of the problem.

Cllr Karey McHugh said the water supply was cut off in an estate in Tuam last weekend and residents couldn’t establish why.

Read more in this week’s Connacht Tribune