Grants urged to remove harmful lead water pipes

A grant-aided scheme to remove harmful lead pipes from the drinking water supply could provide jobs as well as eliminate a public health risk, the Green Party has said.

The party is proposing a scheme similar to the energy efficiency retrofit programme that has boosted employment in the construction sector by grant-aiding householders to insulate their homes and upgrade heating systems.

Forty-two public water supplies tested in the latest Environmental Protection Agency inspections had lead levels that exceeded safety thresholds that will come into effect in December this year.