Irish Water defends stand on finding leaks
Irish Water has moved to calm fears that homeowners could face substantial bills for repairing faulty pipes.
The company says any leaks found after a year will have to be paid for by property owners themselves.
The Government has set aside €30m to fund repairs for the estimated one in ten homes which will need them.
Elizabeth Arnett, the Head of Communications and Corporate Services at Irish Water, says offering one year of free repairs is fair.
Sinn Féin, however, said the new rules will punish everyday families for the failures of previous governments.
TD Brian Stanley said the state's investment in water meters would be better used elsewhere.
"What we need to do here is fix the leaks I the main system … that money would be better used [on repairs than] putting meters outside people's houses."
