Hosepipe ban introduced for West Cork after long period of dry weather

The ban will come into effect across 30 local water supplies in West Cork from midnight tonight (Monday 29th).

A hosepipe pan has been introduced by Irish Water for parts of West Cork, as a long period of dry weather has resulted in ‘severe stress’ on local supplies.

The ban will prohibit people in affected areas for using hosepipes to wash their car, water their garden or potted plants, or fill a paddling pool, according to the Irish Times.

In a statement, Irish Water said rainfall levels in West Cork had been below average for every month since last November, with the exception of this June.

They said “this has impacted water resources as they need time to replenish, and it will take six to eight weeks of rainfall to do that”.

According to the Times, Irish Water is concerned that further dry weather over the next two weeks will intensify pressure on water supplies in the area. At present, Cork County Council and Irish Water are delivering tinkered water to three local suppliers to prevent outages.

Head of Irish Water’s asset operation Margaret Attridge said the ban was necessary to avoid water outages in the area. The ban is set to remain in place until September 26th.

Header image via Shutterstock 

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