A 'Do Not Drink' notice which was put in place in Fethard, Tipperary, on the weekend of the 03-04 March, has been lifted.

The notice for the Fethard Water Supply Scheme affected 12,000 customers.

It was put in place following a third party fuel spill in the River Anner.

However, following the completion of clean up works and extensive flushing and testing of the network, the notice has now been lifted.

Duane O'Brien, Water Operations Lead for Tipperary, said: "We are pleased to confirm that the drinking restriction in place for the Fethard Water Treatment Scheme for the past four weeks has now been removed.

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"Immediately on becoming aware of the kerosene spill on the River Anner upstream of the intake to the Fethard water treatment plant, we took action to protect public health. Due to the nature of this contamination it was necessary to carry out a deep clean of the treatment plant followed by flushing of the network to ensure that all potential contaminants were removed. While the treatment plant was shut down, we worked with our contractors and Tipperary County Council to redirect water around the network so we could maintain a supply for cleaning and general sanitary purposes.

"Following the completion of an intensive cleaning programme and resumption of production at the water treatment plant in the past weeks, we have been liaising with the HSE to carry out testing across the water supply network to ensure that the water is safe to drink and that there is no risk to human health."

(CD/LM)