Irish Water has announced plans to remove lead service connections in Killarney in an attempt to improve the water supply.

Work will take place along the public water network in Allman's Terrace, Rock Road, beginning in late June and running for three weeks.

Ward and Burke Ltd will deliver the works on behalf of Irish Water and Kerry County Council under the National Leakage Reduction Programme.

The work will involve the replacement of existing lead pipes connecting the public water network to a customer's property with modern high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic pipes. Property owners will be notified if it is likely that there is lead present within the boundary of their property. Property owners are responsible for replacing this lead.

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They will take place from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and traffic management will be required at these times to complete the works safely. Emergency and local traffic access, as well as access for deliveries, will be maintained at all times. 

Outlining the benefits the lead replacement works will bring, Steven Blennerhassett from Irish Water, explained: "Replacing these old lead service connections in Allman's Terrace will bring an all-round improvement to water quality for the local community. Lead pipework is prone to bursts and regular water outages and replacing it will provide a much more reliable supply of water to customers and local businesses in the area.

"There may be some short-term water outages and the project team will ensure that customers are given a minimum of 48 hours' notice beforehand.

"We understand that road works and water outages can be inconvenient, but our crews will make every effort to minimise disruption to local communities as we continue to improve the water supply in County Kerry and progress the National Leakage Reduction Programme."