Watch: Businesses in Cork city forced to close doors due to burst water main 

Some businesses in Cork city centre were forced to close their doors on Wednesday following a burst water main on Parliament Street.

Areas impacted included Sullivan’s Quay, South Mall, Grand Parade, Morrison’s Island, South Terrace, Parliament Bridge, Rutland Square, Douglas Street and the surrounding areas.

Uisce Éireann said that crews were working to repair what was described as a significant burst to a water main in the city centre, anticipating that water supply would be restored at 8.35pm.

Uisce Éirenn said, however, that given the location of the burst, repair works were complex and that it may take a number of hours after the estimated restoration time for normal supply to return to all customers.

Cork City Council confirmed that it placed traffic restrictions in the area with only one of the two lanes on Parliament Street open to traffic on Wednesday evening while the issue was being dealt with by Uisce Éireann crews.

Four crews from Cork City Fire Brigade also attended the scene, applying flood packs to certain areas.

Businesses in the area, however, were threatened with flooding from the water flowing from the burst pipe and decided to shut their doors.

Speaking to The Echo, owner of Sober Lane on Sullivan’s Quay, Ernest Cantillon, acknowledged that Uisce Éireann has been working for several weeks on a major mains replacement scheme as part of the Cork City South Quays project and said a pipe was burst in the area which was unplanned.

“They burst a pipe so it was unplanned. It happens,” he told The Echo.

Mr Cantillon said that while there was food prepared and there was waste and cost associated with it, Wednesday is one of the quietest days for the business and that it would have been a worse situation if it had occurred on a busier evening such as a Friday or Saturday.

He said that when the pipe burst there was “a flurry of activity trying to get it fixed” and commended how reactive Cork City Council and Uisce Éireann had been.

Meanwhile, close neighbours of Sober Lane, Izz Café on Georges Quay operated on a deliveries and takeaways-only basis following the incident but was later forced to close as the situation worsened.

Taking to social media, the popular Palestinian-owned café thanked its customers for their understanding and apologised for any inconvenience.

Speaking about the incident, Social Democrats councillor for Cork City South Central, Pádraig Rice, said:

Today’s burst water mains is just the latest event in an ongoing saga. Between burst pipes, discoloured water, and low pressure, there is hardly a week that goes by without a serious issue with the water supply in Cork.

“The least people and businesses can expect is a safe, clean, and reliable water supply. Too often, the water is discoloured, and now we are seeing unplanned disruptions to the water supply in the city centre. This isn’t good enough.

“It’s clear that the government has neglected the water infrastructure in Cork and across Ireland for far too long - we are all now paying the price.” 

Mr Rice called for greater investment in the water network and said old pipes need to be replaced, and a steady supply of clean water needs to be guaranteed.

Operations lead for Uisce Éireann in Cork City, Sean Lynch, said: “We understand the inconvenience that unplanned outages can have. Crews have been mobilised and we will continue to keep the community updated as the works progress.”

Uisce Éireann advised that following repair works, it typically takes two to three hours for normal supply to fully restore to all areas as the water refills the network, especially for those on higher ground or at the end of the network.

Uisce Éireann also advised that water is safe to drink once water is running clear but advised customers not to drink discoloured water.