'It's crazy': Mother and her newborn without water for six days in North Cork village

Uisce Éireann has halved its repair crews in the Fermoy area despite frequent failures of the ageing water main in Ballyhooly

One councillor said the Uisce Éireann repair crew cut means the three main towns — Fermoy, Mitchelstown, and Doneraile — get priority. But another said the crew can only visit Mitchelstown  if there's a major kemergency. Picture: iStock

A Co Cork mother and her newborn baby were discharged home from hospital to discover the water supply in their home had been cut off for six days. And a neighbouring farmer was forced to constantly draw water for his 200-strong herd of cattle during the same period in the North Cork village of Ballyhooly.

The cases have been highlighted by local councillors who claim that Uisce Éireann is letting potentially hundreds of thousands of litres of water leak daily as a result of its decision to reduce the number of repair crews in the region.