Councillor Aengus O'Rourke says he's very happy to have been contacted today by Irish Water who've agreed to a meeting with councillor shortly to discuss the project.

The Athlone Main Drainage Project involves the construction of new pumping stations at Golden Island and Coosan West, and almost 3km of new sewers.

Sue McMillan says the fact Irish Water were aware repairs were being carried out, and the colouring of the water had been impacted, customers should have been notified.

Irish Water released a statement to Shannonside FM this morning.

The meeting heard the plant water usage increased by 20 per cent during the cold spell.

It's expected the works will continue into March.

It follows the imposition of night-time water restrictions on a large area of Longford.

Councillor Enda McGloin believes the netting needs to be installed to prevent birds from landing on the exposed water and potentially spreading disease.