Call For Car Wash Closure

A Labour spokesperson has called for the state's car washes to be turned off during the current and future water shortages.

Mary Upton, Labour's spokesperson on arts, sport and tourism said today that car washes at petrol stations were still operating despite major water shortages throughout Ireland.

Speaking today Ms Upton said: "In many areas of the country - including in parts of my own constituency - water supplies remain under huge pressure and many households are still without a reliable supply. Councils are calling on members of the public to act responsibly and to take steps to drastically reduce consumption, and rightly so in the circumstances.

"In that context, I find it very odd that petrol stations in affected areas continue to operate their car-wash facilities. I understand that the average car-wash uses up about 150 litres per wash, and I would urge the operators to turn them off, at least until we get over the worst of the shortages. In fact local authorities should request these retailers to put a stop to this practise.

Mrs Upton went on to say that water was a particularly scarce commodity at the moment and using such a quantity of water to wash a car at a time when some people don't have enough to make a cup of tea is entirely unacceptable.

The situation has reached a critical scale in Dublin, with the city's council being forced to provide stationary tankers for those affected by the imposed reduction in water pressure to conserve supplies.

In a statement released yesterday, Dublin City Council called on the public, businesses, schools and the community to conserve water.

"This is because water levels are at a critically low level and demand is at an all-time high," a spokesman said.

He added: "The prolonged freeze over Christmas and the early days of January caused a dramatic increase in broken water mains. The ground will move as the thaw sets in during the week beginning 11th January and this will cause further damage and breakages to the water mains, resulting in increased loss of water."

(DW/GK)