We are now paying for abandoning the much-hated water charges

Ireland’s crumbling water system is leaking billions — was scrapping charges a mistake we’re now paying for?

The public groundswell of opposition ensured that water charges became a shameful idea, never to be uttered again. File picture: Des Barry

Services always come at a price and we are now paying for abandoning the much-hated water charges.

The public uproar and protest movement which led to a scrapping of infamous water charges back in 2016 is well documented, but we have now been left with a free system that is leaking, creaking, and in some cases, unfit for consumption.