Thousands of Cork City homes told to expect water discolouration issues this weekend

Uisce Éireann has advised customers with discoloured water to run the tap for up to 20 minutes at which point the water should run clear.

Thousands of homes in Cork city have been warned to expect water discolouration issues this weekend as vast areas of the city's water network are set to be flushed.

While most flushing works are done at night, Uisce Éireann has announced that a raft of targeted flushing work will take place this Saturday between 9am and 4pm as part of its continued efforts to address the city's ongoing water discolouration issues.

The flushing will take place in:

• Melbourne Road, Woburn and surrounding areas;
• Hollywood Estate, Millstream and Hollymount and surrounding areas;
• Farranferris and surrounding areas;
• Glenheights Park, Glenthorn and surrounding areas;
• Copper Hill, Beaumount and surrounding areas;
• Templeacre Avenue, Chapel Field, Upper Cathedral Road and surrounding areas.

The programme involves isolating and flushing small sections of the water network to clear any build-up of sediment from the old cast iron pipes.

But the utility said clearing the pipes can result in sediment carrying through to customers’ taps resulting in increased instances of discoloured water in the short-term.

It has advised customers with discoloured water to run the tap for up to 20 minutes at which point the water should run clear.

"The water is safe to drink once running clear. If the issue remains unresolved, we encourage customers to contact us directly. The customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278," a spokesperson said.