Over 7,000 people were affected by boil water notices in Ireland in 2016, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Mr Gerard O'Leary, Director of the EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement, called for the safety and security of the supplies to be improved or people are at risk of becoming ill.

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A report focusing on the quality of Private Water Supplies in Ireland revealed boil water notices were imposed on 126 private water supplies and one fifth of people in Ireland get their drinking water from private water supplies.

Mr Darragh Page, Programme Manager of the EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement said: "Local authorities must use their enforcement powers to ensure that action is taken where water quality issues are identified in private supplies. While there was an increase in enforcement by local authorities in 2016, only nine local authorities carried out audits during the year."

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