Work has started on the second phase of water main improvement works in Bullet Road, Athlone.

The work is being carried out to improve the security of supply and reduce high levels of leakage.

The works involve the replacement of approximately 550m of old and problematic water mains that were prone to frequent bursts and leakage which caused water supply disruptions for customers in the area. The mains are being replaced with new high density, polyethylene (plastic) pipes. The works will also involve laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers’ property boundaries and connecting it to the customer’s water supply. Where the existing service connections on the public side are lead these will be replaced as part of this improvement work.

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Irish Water's national Leakage Reduction Programme Regional Lead, Matthew Thompson said: "Replacing these old, damaged pipes will reduce the instances of bursts and water outages and the new water mains and service connections will safeguard the water supply for homes and businesses in the area. When completed, both phases of works will result in the replacement of over 1km of old and damaged mains in Bullet Road. These improvements to the water network are essential in providing a safe, secure and reliable water supply, now and into the future."

The works may involve some short-term water shut offs and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours prior notice of any planned water shut offs. To facilitate the safe delivery of these works, some traffic management will be in place, however, local and emergency access will be maintained at all times. Irish Water and Westmeath County Council regret any inconvenience these improvement works may cause. The works are being carried out on behalf of Irish Water by GMC Utilities and are expected to be completed by December 2020.