Big Laois water outage as Portlaoise mains pipe bursts hits town traffic
More traffic disruption on Dublin Road as water mains burst near Portlaoise Prison and Laois Fire Station
Uisce Éireann is tackling a burst water mains in Portlaoise which has led to the loss of a huge quantity of water from the Laois town’s supply and is adding to the already disrupted traffic flow along the Dublin Road.
The burst occurred on Tuesday evening, May 26, in the vicinity of Portlaoise Prison and the Portlaoise Fire Station. Huge quantities of silt infused water surged onto the busy street, resulting in flooding, the worst of which occurred outside the Fire Station.
As the sun beat down in record temperatures, motorists were forced to slow down due to the depth of the muddy brown water as local residents looked taken aback at the scale of the leak.
The utility, which is also known as Irish Water, was alerted and says it is repairing leaks from the water mains. It indicated that traffic will be impacted on a route that his been disrupted for months due to the building of new roundabouts.
“Repairs to a burst water main may cause supply disruptions to Dublin Road, Portlaoise and surrounding areas in Co. Laois. A traffic management plan will be in place for the duration of these works.
“We recommend that you allow 3-4 hours after the estimated restoration time for your supply to fully return,” it said.
The utility said work was scheduled to take place until 4pm on Wednesday, May 27.
Water problems were also reported on Tuesday in Portarlington.