Latest: Children suffer 'chemical burns' due to unsafe water supply in 1,000 Meath homes

Latest: Irish Water customers are being told not to drink, wash or use their water for food preparation.

Update 6.54pm: A number of children are reported to have suffered skin rashes and illness due to unsafe chlorine levels in water supplies in County Meath.

Around 1,000 households are affected in the Kilcloon area near Dunboyne.

Meath East TD Thomas Byrne says some of his constituents raised concerns last Sunday, but Irish Water only issued a warning today.

“They had reported chemical burns, which arise in the form of rashes, children getting sick and going to the doctor, because of that.

“In one case, an adult was reported as having got sick.”

Original story (5.43pm): 1,000 Meath households warned of unsafe water supply

Around 1,000 households in south County Meath have been warned that their water supplies have unsafe levels of chlorine.

The problem has occurred in the Kilcloon area, near Dunboyne.

Irish Water customers are being told not to drink, wash or use their water for food preparation.

The utility says it’s currently flushing out the network in order to make the supply safe again.

Bottled water is being made available to customers in the area.

Customers are being told to run taps and flush toilets to get rid of the chlorinated water in homes.