SOME 900,000 PEOPLE have registered to pay water charges, meaning more than 700,000 have yet to do so.

A spokesperson for Irish Water confirmed that over 25,800 people registered from Saturday to Wednesday of last week.

This is an average of 5,000 people a day – up from 3,000 a day the previous week.

Last month, the Government announced a revised package on water charges, meaning an adult living on their own will pay €60 per year for water when a €100 rebate is included – around €1.15 a week.

People who don’t register will receive an automatic €260 bill and will not qualify for the €100 rebate.

Late payment penalties of €30 for a single adult household and €60 for other households will be added to bills three months following a  year of non-payment. Over four years of non-payment, penalties could accumulate to €1,640.

If you refuse to pay, the charges will be attached to your home meaning water bills would remain outstanding if you tried to sell your home.

Lawyers

Earlier today, the Irish Times reported that Irish Water has paid more than €5 million to three Dublin law firms since it was set up last year – working out at about €81,000 per week.

Sinn Féin’s Environment Spokesperson Brian Stanley said the money the company was spending on lawyers and consultants would be put to better use if spent on fixing leaks.

“Hardly a week goes by without another story which highlights the enormous waste of taxpayer’s money by Irish Water,” Stanley stated.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly has previously defended the amount it has cost to set up the utility, saying it was “on a par” with costs incurred to establish similar companies abroad.

Another protest against water charges has been planned for Wednesday, 10 December.

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