No water meters for 20% of homes

At least one in five homes will not be able to fitted with water meters, the Government has admitted as a minister apologised for “scaring” people with confusion on the issue.

The revelation from Transport Minister Leo Varadkar caps a week of conflicting statements and uncertainty over the controversial initiative.

The number of households that will pay a standing charge rather than a metered one is far higher than embattled Environment Minister Phil Hogan had previously indicated.