Confusion rife as €200 family water bills signalled

Average family water bills of €200 were signalled as the Coalition continued to send out confusing messages on the charging regime.

Fine Gael and Labour were still hammering out how a more voter-friendly system would work as attachments on the welfare benefits or salaries of non-payers, rather than the formal involvement of Revenue, emerged as the main weapon against a mass boycott of the charges when bills drop in late January.

With the revamped package not expected to go to Cabinet until at least a week tomorrow a Government source summed up the situation saying: “Different people have different views on different parts of it.”