There is some bad news for homeowners as latest reports have revealed they will have to spend up to €5,000 replacing their lead pipes.
The news comes as Irish Water have revealed they will spend €370m over the next 10 years to replace the pipes outside properties only.
However thousands of homeowners could be left with hefty bills as they will have to pay to replace lead piping inside their property.
Although the utility says there is a Government grant available to help with the costs. Irish Water are advising homeowners whose house is built before 1980 to check their piping as lead contamination can cause serious health problems.
A spokesman for the company Mark McCauley says there is a simple way to check for lead. He said: “Basically what you are looking for is, if you look under the kitchen sink typically you will find a kind of black-grey metal pipe and if you scratch it it will expose a silver undersurface.”
“So that’s a simple way of checking, but if there is any doubt, you should employ a plumber to check for sure.”