NI Water has invested over £11.5 million in the Newry, Mourne and Down district this year, taking its total investment in the area to £43.6m since 2015.

The utility met with the local council yesterday, 26 November, to issue updates on its investment.

Ronan Larkin, Director of Finance and Regulation at NI Water said: "Every aspect of life in Northern Ireland relies on the water and wastewater services we provide. Our infrastructure is central to the growth of the economy. However, we still need to ensure we have the funding to do this and we need the Council to work with us to help make that happen. Although we are a regulated utility we have not been immune from public expenditure cuts and uncertainty over funding."

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The meeting comes as NI Water is developing its investment plan for the next price control period (2021 – 2027). The investment needed to address wastewater capacity issues is expected to exceed £0.5bn, as part of an overall expenditure profile which is likely to approach £2bn.

Steve Blockwell, Head of Investment at NI Water, said: "NI Water takes its obligations to its stakeholders seriously, and we welcome the opportunity to meet with councillors and officials in this format to outline our case and highlight our ongoing work within the Newry, Mourne and Down area. We believe good working relationships are vital when delivering our services and building our capital programmes of work."

(CM/MH)