Irish Water has launched a landmark boil water notice in the Greater Dublin Area.

This notice, the largest of its kind ever in Ireland, will affect 600,000 homes.

Sinn Féin has called on the utility and the operators of the plant in Leixlip to provide clarity on the reasons behind the notice.

The party's spokesperson on Water, Eoin Ó Broin TD said: "Days on from the issuing of the Boil Water notice we still do not know what caused it.

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"A report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) back in March raised concerns about potential operational failures at the same plant and made eight recommendations on how to address these issues.

"So what Irish Water need to state is, is the contamination of the water supply as a result of what the EPA identified as a concern in March?

"If so, why didn't Irish Water and the operators of the plant prioritise addressing these concerns?

"Did Irish Water implement any of the eight recommendations contained in the EPA report?

"These are some of the questions I will be putting to Irish Water when they appear in front of the Housing Committee."

(CM/MH)