Nearly half the Irish water supply lost through leaks

The amount of water lost through leaks is as bad as feared, with the most accurate survey to date showing on average 46.7% of the country’s supply vanishing before it reaches the tap.

Irish Water had warned that it suspected as much as half the supply was being lost, but figures previously collected included partial estimates and put the average loss per county at 39.5%.

Roscommon has the biggest problem, losing 68% of its water through leaks — a figure that is 6% higher than previously thought.