LAST UPDATE | 24 Jan

THE NUMBER OF customers without water has increased to 138,000 after a number of areas were impacted by Storm Éowyn today.

Uisce Éireann, the national water service provider, was warned the figure is likely to increase and that some households and businesses may be without water for days.

The issue has arisen after hundreds of thousands of premises have been left without power. Electricity faults have also impacted water treatment plants.

Uisce Éireann said 750,000 customers are at risk of having their supply being cut off. The agency has urged customers to conserve water as much as possible.

Impacts are being felt nationwide, with large areas without water across counties Kerry, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Galway, Donegal, Longford and Laois.

Updates on local supplies issues will be provided on the Úisce Eireann website.

Head of Water Operations at Uisce Éireann Margaret Attridge said that the outages are unprecedented and assured customers that the agency is doing all that it can to deliver and restore services back to full capacity as soon as possible.

Restoration crews are still assessing the full extent of the outages, and exact figures and estimated times for restorations will be provided over this weekend. It may take a long period of time, the agency has warned.

“We ask for the public’s continued patience during this challenging time,” Attridge said.

Widespread power outages at treatment plants and pumping stations continue to impact on supplies.  Storm Éowyn brought gusts of up to 183km per hour to Ireland overnight while the entire country was under a Status Red weather warning overnight.

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The storm has knocked out power to nearly one million people on the island of Ireland and to some infrastructure, including several water treatment plants. Repair crews began restoration works as soon as Status Red weather warning were lifted.

“In areas where supply has been disrupted, most properties should have adequate storage in their attic tanks for hygiene purposes for at least 24 hours,” Attridge said.

“However, customers are urged to conserve water where possible in order to protect supply while the outages are resolved.

“There are some simple steps people can take to conserve their water, such as avoiding the use of water-intensive appliances during this time.”

With reporting by Lauren Boland