A water ban has been imposed in south Meath.

Over 1,000 homes in County Meath have been warned not to consume tap water or even make use of it for washing. Irish Water has told residents in the south Meath area of Kilcloon to avoid using water for the time being due to elevated chlorine levels. It's understood that a number of young children have been coming out in bad rashes and feeling unwell due to the higher-than-usual chemical levels. JOE spoke to Irish Water about the water issue and they delivered a set of instructions to the area's residents. "On the advice of the HSE Irish Water has imposed a do not drink, do not use for food preparation or  do not wash notice for customers in Kilcloon, Moygaddy, Killeany, Kilgraigue, Harristown, Brownstown, Ballynare, Butlerstown, Staffordstown, Brownrath, Blackhall Little, Waynestown, Harlockstown, Ballymacoll in Co. Meath with immediate effect due to increased chlorine levels in the water supply," an Irish Water statement read. "Following sampling, it was detected that the chlorine levels were elevated in the areas. The mechanical issue that caused the chlorine levels to increase has now been resolved. We are carrying out a programme of flushing on the network to return the chlorine levels to the correct drinking water standards. "Customers must not drink the water, use it for food preparation or wash in the water until further notice. We will continue to keep customers updated on this incident. Customers are advised to draw down water from attic/storage tank, customers should flush toilets or run bathroom taps intermittently, as tanks re-fill chlorine levels in storage tank will return to normal. "The HSE advises that the water from this supply is unsafe to: - Consume for drinking; - Use in connection with food preparation; and - Use for personal hygiene, including brushing teeth and bathing. "All prepared drinks, foods, ice cubes and baby foods which contain water from the network should be discarded. "In the interest of Public Health, it is advised that all users (i.e. domestic and commercial) on the affected scheme should not use tap water until further notice except for: - Flushing of toilets; and - Flushing of internal house plumbing systems. "Bottled will continue to be available for collection from the Kilcloon Church and Kilcloon School today. Manned water tankers will be in place from 5.30pm today at the Kilcloon Church and Kilcloon School and will remain in place until tomorrow afternoon. "Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tankers and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure. "Irish Water apologises for the inconvenience caused by the imposition of this do not drink and do not wash notice and thanks our customers for their patience while we work to remove the notice as quickly as possible. "If customers have any health concerns we advise you to contact your GP for advice. We are flushing the network to remove the high chlorine levels. We working closely Meath County Council and the HSE to monitor the supply and lift the notice as quickly as possible. "For more information and additional advice, please call our 24-hour customer care line at 1850 278 278 or on Twitter." The warning has been put in place "until further notice", but Irish Water is currently of the belief that the issue will be resolved by Wednesday night. South Meath and the surrounding areas have been affected. For a map of the affected areas, click here. It's also been reported that a Boil Water notice is currently in place for County Sligo. https://twitter.com/IWCare/status/961249456959172608 Up to 13,000 people in a large area of south and west Sligo are currently on a boil water notice due to the discovery of cryptosporidium in the system. For years, the quality of the water from the Lough Talt scheme has been of concern. Irish Water says it hopes to be able to resubmit a planning application for a new treatment plant at Lough Talt within the coming months.