€30m to replace asbestos pipes

IT would cost more than €30 million to replace asbestos water mains in Kerry – work that’s unlikely to be done for many years.

There are 304km (11.25% of the total) of asbestos pipes in Kerry County Council’s network of water mains.

Raising the issue, Cllr Michael Gleeson said many of the pipes were more than 30-years-old, an age at which they could deteriorate rapidly. He said breaks were occurring frequently in some areas, especially in Fossa, Killarney, with staff being called to repair leaks to a degree that was embarrassing for everyone.