Updated: NI Water pay dispute leaves thousands without water

Industrial action over a pensions dispute left thousands of Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) customers without a mains water supply.

A fault at the Enniskillen treatment plant has suffered delays in being repaired, leaving 10,000 customers in the Fermanagh and Tyrone areas without a minas water supply, because trade union members have withdrawn from responding to out-of-hours calls and from working overtime.

The company said the delay in repairs was caused by the company having “very limited resources” due to ongoing industrial action over pensions.

A statement from NI Water said: “Over the weekend, NI Water mobilised all resources at its disposal to deal with the effects of the action. This meant supplies across the province have been largely maintained.

“Unfortunately with 26,000 km of watermains, 15,000 km of sewers and literally thousands of pumping stations and treatment works to monitor it was virtually inevitable there will be interruptions to services to our customers.”

NI Water provided “alternative water supplies” to those who were cut off but the company said that water supplies were restored to all customers by midday on Tuesday (13 January).

Dialogue between the Northern Irish government, NI Water and the trade unions, via the Labour Relations Agency, are continuing after union members rejected a pay deal on Friday.