More homes and businesses in the County Offaly village of Rahan are set to benefit from an improved water supply as key upgrades progress.

A further phase of Irish Water's mains upgrade works is to get underway in the area, which will see 5km of ageing water mains replaced with new modern pipes between Agall Pumping Station and the N52 road, and between the N52 and the Holmshill Road. 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 customers' water supply.

The work, being delivered in partnership with Offaly County Council, will provide a more safe, secure and reliable water supply for the area.

This scheme follows on from a project last month which saw almost 8km of ageing water mains replaced between Newtown and Rahan.

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Speaking about the importance and benefits of the works, Joe Carroll, Irish Water, explained: "The works will involve the construction of approximately 5km of new water mains to supplement the existing network between Agall Pumping Station and the N52 road, and also between the N52 to the Holmshill Road. The new water mains will reduce the high level of leakage in the area and will increase security of supply and reliability. Traffic management will be necessary and includes a road closure on the Holmshill Road, details of which will be communicated locally as the project progresses. Local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.  

"The works may involve some short-term water interruptions and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours' notice prior to any planned water interruptions. We understand that this type of work can be inconvenient and works crews will make every effort to minimise any disruption these necessary works cause.

"These ongoing projects are part of a significant investment by Irish Water to upgrade the water network in Offaly and we would like to thank customers for their continued cooperation and patience while we continue to upgrade and improve the water supply across the county."

Ward & Burke Construction will deliver the works on behalf of Irish Water, with completion expected in April 2022.

A further tranche of works is also due to get underway next week in the Fahy area which will see the replacement of 500 metres of problematic water mains with new modern pipes. These works are expected to be completed in early February.