Fears of disease amid water crisis in Northern Ireland

A battle is on to avoid a public health crisis in Northern Ireland, where emergency water supplies are being distributed to tens of thousands of people who have been cut off.

Many pipes burst as temperatures warmed up following the recent freezing weather in the UK. At the last count 40,000 people were without running water.

“We’ve had no water from half past eight yesterday morning,” said the mother of a six-year-old child. She pointed out the passengers in her car – one with a three-year-old, another with an eight-week-old baby – who were in the same plight.

One doctor warned the winter flu virus and a lack of water could bring an outbreak of disease.

Emergency crews are working round the clock to restore supplies.

“Because of the stress on the system however, we’re going to have to start looking at alternating supplies, which means taking people off supply for a period of time to allow reservoirs to fill, so that we can maintain supplies to priority services such as hospitals,” said water management official Paddy Cullen.

The capital Belfast is among the areas hardest hit.

In some parts of the country floodwaters from the burst pipes have been contaminated by sewage.

Leisure centres across Northern Ireland are letting people use showers and toilets. Scotland has offered to supply bottled water to ease the emergency.

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