Westmeath County Council has confirmed that all water hydrants in the county are tested and flushed out regularly, and their pressure constantly monitored, as part of the county’s watermains programme.
County manager Dan McLoughlin was responding to a question from Cllr Aidan Davitt recently, who called for water hydrants to be tested annually to ensure they are in working order.
“I was in Castlepollard the day [Egan’s garage] burnt to the ground. The hydrant couldn’t be used and they had to bring water from the fire station. There had been building work a year previously and the hydrant had been turned off,” said Cllr Davitt.
However, he welcomed assurances from the county manager that the county’s hydrants are closely monitored.
“A lot of building work is going on in Mullingar and we need to check hydrants on a regular basis,” he added.
