The town of Drogheda and it’s surrounding areas is still without water this evening due to a burst main that supplies the main water plant in the town.
The water shortage which has currently outraged many locals in the North East comes after a mains pipe which is apparently 4 metres underground burst near the Staleens Plant in Donore Co Meath on Friday morning.
According of Irish Water.ie the town and surrounding areas including Ashbourne, Rathoath, Duleek, Stamullen, Kentstown, Termonfeckin and Clogherhead and other areas will be without water until 7pm Monday evening at the earliest.
The drought which has lasted almost 48 hours has seen a number of businesses and households effected with many residents running short on supplies as local shops and supermarkets have sold out of bottled water.
Irish Water who are working with Louth Council have moved to reassure the public by posting a statement on its website which outlines the problem at hand and what they are currently doing to address the situation.
The company which has come in for a barrage of criticism in recent times has said the issue is unfortunately taking longer than planned to fix due to complications work crews have faced trying to fix the leak.
They also say they have enlisted the services of Louth County Council in order to maintain the supply of water by bringing in tankers from other areas such as Collon and Tullyallen.
The major shortage has also led to a water conservation process to be implemented in the Drogheda area as local reservoirs in Donore, Windmill Hill, Barnatin and Kilineer have become low on supply.
However Irish Water have said there is still currently a direct supply to Our Lady Of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, with the comapny saying the supply of water to the hospital is a key priority for obvious reasons.
The water shortage which is affecting in and around 80,000 people has left many residents in all areas upset and angry with many questioning the delay in fixing the leak.
Many locals have taken to social media to voice their disgust at Irish Water for their handling of the situation that has caused major disruption throughout the area.
Disgruntled residents have said the situation is now beyond a joke given that it could take up to 72 hours or longer to fix the leak. They have also voiced their concerns about how the shortage could end up creating hygiene problems as the public are unable to flush their toilets and wash their hands properly.
Although Irish Water have claimed the leak will be fixed as soon as possible many concerned residents are now fearing the worst and some have speculated the water shortage could last until Wednesday at the earliest.