Water protestors who were put behind bars for objecting to the installation of water meters have been released from jail.

Sinn Féin TD and Spokesperson on the Environment, Brian Stanley, welcomed the news, however he said the arrest of the protesters was clearly a deliberate act against the anti-water charges movement.

Deputy Stanley said: "News of their release comes in the wake of yet more revelations of bad practice, bad management and pointless overspending by Irish Water. Irish Water meter installers are now looking for extra money due to wrongly sized boxes, water pipes being too close to the surface and other inconsistencies between the job description and ground conditions encountered.

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"It is no exaggeration to say that the entire affair has been a fiasco. The water metering programme must be halted as soon as possible. It is unbelievable that the €539 million outlay for water meters now might not be enough. And those who end up punished are those engaged in peaceful protest.

"We would strongly encourage people to continue to protest peacefully against the charges."

(CD/MH)