Irish Water issues tips to avoid burst pipes

It's issued the advice to avoid damage and water wastage.

Irish Water has published tips for homeowners during the ongoing cold snap.

The utility is asking homes and businesses to take some simple steps to avoid damage to their pipes and help conserve water.

It says freezing conditions can lead to a higher than normal volume of burst pipes, which has the potential to cause severe damage in the home, while also leading to valuable water being lost.

Irish Water, which has teamed up with Westmeath County Council to issue the message, says sometimes a small leak can go undetected for weeks, resulting in expensive repair bills and a disrupted water supply.

Tom Cuddy, Head of Operations with Irish Water said, “With temperatures often dipping below zero at this time of year, we are appealing to homes, businesses and those responsible for unoccupied buildings to check for leaks whilst adhering to current public health regulations and advice, and to turn off water where it’s not needed.

"We are also appealing to customers to check outside pipes in particular that can become frozen and burst during periods of cold weather and report leaks they see on the public network to us."

He says small efforts to conserve water make a big difference.

"We would ask the public to only use what they need whilst continuing to adhere to public health advice on hand washing and hygiene regarding COVID-19."

Irish Water has issued a number of helpful tips for home and business owners which can be found HERE.

To report a leak please contact Irish Water on 1800 278 278.