Irish Water works at Mullenoran, Bunbrosna, September 20 and 22

Irish Water and Westmeath County Council continue work on water main replacement in Mullenoran, Bunbrosna, and short-term water outages are scheduled on Monday September 20 and Wednesday September 22 from 1pm to 8pm.

Customers in the following areas may experience disruption to their water supply: Mullenoran, Bunbrosna, Lismacaffrey, Streete, Rathowen, Ballinalack, Multyfarham and surrounding areas.

It may take two to three hours following restoration time for the network to refill and normal water supply to fully return – however, people are asked to continue to follow HSE guidance on handwashing.

Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause and will continue to actively communicate details prior to any planned shut-offs.

For tips and advice on how to prepare for planned works and avoid issues with your water supply, visit the Irish Water website at www.water.ie/help/supply/prepare-for-works.

These essential works are being carried out on behalf of Irish Water, in adherence with the HSE and government guidance on Covid-19, by GMC Utilities and are expected to be completed by the end of September.

As part of the improvement works, Irish Water is replacing some 500 metres of old and problematic water mains between Mullenoran Bridge and the R393 with new, high density polyethylene (plastic) pipes, which will reduce the number of bursts and water outages and ensure a reliable water supply for customers.

The works also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customers’ water supply.

Existing lead service connections on the public side are also being replaced.

Traffic management will be in place, including a road closure and diversions via the N4, R394 and R393 – local and emergency access is being maintained at all times.

Matt Thomson, Leakage Reduction Programme regional lead with Irish Water, said: “Replacing these old, damaged pipes will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages for the community and provide a more secure and reliable water supply for homes and businesses.

“We do understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and will ensure our work crews make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works may cause.

"We would like to thank the local community, businesses, homeowners and commuters for their patience and co-operation while we continue to deliver these vital water network improvements to safeguard the water supply in Mullenoran.”

The Irish Water 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, visit the Water Supply Updates section of the Irish Water website.