Homeowners face large bills to replace lead water pipes

Thousands of homeowners are facing bills of around €5,000 to replace lead pipes in their home.

There is no safe level of lead in water, and it can cause developmental delays in children.

If your house was built before the 1970s, there is a good chance it has lead piping.

A simple way of checking your pipes is to scrape the pipe gently with a coin, and if a shiny silver strip is revealed, then it is lead.

The cost of replacing the mains pipe in the average home is around €5000.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly has said that low income households will get grants.

"We are looking at grants of up to €4000 for homes that have incomesof €50,000 or less. And grants of up to €2,500 for those with income levels of €50,000 to €75,000," said the Minister.

An information campaign is being launched in the next few weeks to contact the 200,000 households affected.

Prof Kevin Kelleher from the HSE has said that it is particularly bad for young babies who have been bottle fed.

"With the levels we are talking about, there is a possibility that it can cause neuro-developmental delays for some children," said Prof Kelleher.