Fine Gael (FG) and Fianna Fail (FF) have been accused of neglecting Ireland's water infrastructure.

Sinn Fein TD Eoin Ó Broin has called on the government to increase capital investment to "upgrade Ireland's crumbling water and sanitation infrastructure".

However, while Mr Ó Broin welcomed the €400 million investment to replace lead piping in 180,000 homes, he said the issue should have been fixed sooner.

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He said: "Plans to replace the lead pipes are welcome. However, the fact that this issue is only being remedied now is another example of the glaring deficit in our water infrastructure after decades of neglect and under-investment by Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil led governments.

"Sinn Féin also welcomes the grant scheme on offer from the Department of the Environment which will assist householders with the cost of replacing lead pipes within the boundary of their homes.

"However, flexibility must be applied to the scheme to ensure that no household is prevented from replacing the pipes due to inability to cover the funding gap between the grant available and the actual cost of the works."

(CD/LM)