Unauthorised use of fire hydrants impacting water supply to customers in Newbridge

Uisce Éireann is working with Kildare County Council to restore the water supply for impacted customers in Newbridge as quickly as possible. This follows unauthorised use of fire hydrants for purposes other than fire fighting for which they are intended. Hydrants are for use only by authorised personnel for firefighting purposes and should not be used for any purpose other than fire-fighting by the Fire Service. Misuse of fire hydrants has the potential to put lives in danger and prolong or extend damage to premises in the event of an incident where water is unavailable due to unauthorised use. In the current extreme weather conditions, misuse is impacting Uisce Éireann's ability to meet customers' water supply needs.

Following reports of outages and low pressure in Newbridge on Monday, dedicated water service crews were mobilised and identified the cause of the supply disruption. Following network reconfiguration and restoration of supplies to impacted customers, unauthorised and misuse of fire hydrants has continued causing further outages and flooding.

Uisce Éireann and Kildare County Council crews are onsite working to restore and maintain supplies for homes and businesses and prevent any further loss to the water supply.

Kevin Love, Uisce Éireann, commented: "We appreciate your patience as we work to return normal water supply as quickly as possible to all impacted customers. Fire hydrants provide an essential role in the maintenance of the water system as well as fire protection for local communities. Unauthorised use of fire hydrants can threaten the quality of water delivered to homes and business, interrupt supply and can lower pressure in the water lines required for firefighting purposes."

"We are continuing to work with stakeholders in the Newbridge area and are appealing to the public to be vigilant and report any unauthorised activity surrounding hydrants to Uisce Éireann, An Garda Síochána, or Kildare County Council."

Issues of unauthorised use of fire hydrants include:

• Insufficient or no water to fight fires
• The loss of water through hydrants limits the water available to supply homes and businesses
• The loss of water reduces the water pressure to supply homes and businesses
• Potential flooding of premises and damage to property
• Serious damage to the pipes and to the hydrants themselves
• Possible contamination of the public water supply

Uisce Éireann, in partnership, with Kildare County Council are appealing to the public not to tamper or open fire hydrants without permission and request the assistance of the public by reporting details of any such incidents immediately to Uisce Éireann, An Garda Síochána, or Kildare County Council.

The Uisce Éireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates please visit the Supply and Service Updates section of the Uisce Éireann website.

Uisce Éireann is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.