People who fail to pay for water will not face courts

People who fail to pay their household water bills will not be pursued in the courts, Irish Water boss John Tierney pledged last night as those calling for a boycott claimed it will be difficult for the Government to penalise non-payers.

The compliance measures announced as part of the revised pricing regime were further undermined after landlords said they will take legal advice on whether they should be responsible for deducting unpaid water charges from the deposits of their tenants.

With the big test of the new plans likely to be determined by how many households sign up for the charge by the February deadline, Mr Tierney said the company is “aiming for maximum compliance”.