Fianna Fail is calling for construction work to be carried out to upgrade the water treatment plant in Lough Talt in Sligo.

TD for Sligo-Leitrim Eamon Scanlon made the call after over 13,000 households were issued with a boil water notice after another cryptosporidium outbreak.

Mr Scanlon said the work needs to be carried out "urgently"

He said: "I have been raising this issue for some time, and this latest boil water notice must act as a catalyst to progress the works. Irish Water has identified the need for essential upgrade works but An Bord Pleanála has ruled against them.

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"There have been issues with water quality in the south Sligo area for years but Irish Water and the County Council have been unable to proceed with a new treatment plant or even upgrade works because of the Bord Pleanála objection. Thousands of homes in Ballymote, Ballisodare, Tubbercurry and in rural parts of south Sligo now have to boil their water following the detection of cryptosporidium in water supply.

"People living in this area have a right to a safe, secure water supply, but in order to guarantee that, we need to see either a new treatment plant built, or at a minimum, upgrade works on the existing plant carried out. The current plant is simply unable to cope with the demands being placed on it."

(CD/MH)