Poll: 49% won’t pay next Irish Water bill

The battle to get consumers to pay their water charges is set to intensify after a poll found 49% intend not to fork out for their next water bill.

The findings will add further pressure to already fraught discussions among the different political parties and groupings as efforts are made to find common ground on which to form a new government.

Just 22% said they intend to pay their next water bill, while 13% didn’t know.

In January Irish Water said 61% of customers were paying water charges at the end of the third billing cycle.

The poll, by Amarách Research for RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live show, involved 1,000 adults aged 18+.

Perhaps even more worrying was the the finding that 42% would prefer to go through another general election rather than have Fianna-Fáil go into coalitionwith Fine Gael. This compares to 39% who said they’d prefer an FF/FG coalition to another election.

Will you be paying your next bill from Irish Water?

— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) March 7, 2016

Social media reacts strongly to poll

By Steve Neville

On Facebook, Mike Johnston stated, "No chance. Haven't paid from beginning!"

While Pooka Shepherd said, "Nope. Never paid, won't start now..."

Joanne Hyde O'Sullivan was particularly annoyed about being asked to pay water bills while having a boil water notice.

"Haven't paid a cent & glad i haven't as we r on a boil water notice for the next 6-8 months with no explanation.... We have to pay for bottled water as well as paying for electricity to boil the water & we still don't know wat exactly is in the water." (Sic)

One commenter raised her concern about what happens when people don't pay.

Breege Coen asked, "If the people who have refused to pay are getting away with it why should I pay? Either everybody pays or it's abolished."

However Anton Core stated his intent to continue paying the bills for the sake of Irish Water staff members.

"I will continue to pay. And let Micheal Martin explain to the Irish Water workers in Cork why they will be losing their jobs.

Over on Twitter the reaction was just as strong from people when asked would they be paying.

@irishexaminer Not a hope in hell.

— J.Rudd (@jeffrudd31) March 7, 2016

Meanwhile others were also concerned with the state of our water system.

JP McCarthy revealed he had paid but has been left frustrated by the situation.

So far in our poll, 73% say they will not be paying their next water bill, while 10% remain undecided.

Have your say here.