Serious questions to be answered: Gregory Campbell

Speaking to the Sentinel last Thursday, East Londonderry MP, Gregory Campbell, said that while serious questions need to be answered, the most important issue now was having the water supply restored.

He continued: "There are a few important issues here, but crucially, before any finger pointing starts, we must ensure that every home has their mains water supply restored.

"I know there are questions being asked already about the Chief Executive of NI Water and about the Minister, but before we get down to that we must resolve this crisis as quickly as possible first.

"Then when we have this crisis under control there will have to be a comprehensive analysis of what exactly went wrong.

"The response so far has been an absolute shambles, and what people are finding incredibly frustrating is the lack of information, info is not being updated and phones are just ringing off the hook.

"I accept that this was unprecedented and that this has been the coldest December on record, but we knew that last week, and I want to knew why there wasn't better preparation in place for the thaw.

"But as I said, this isn't the time for finger pointing, people aren't interested in politicians quarrelling or point scoring right now, they simply want their water back on."

Last week saw Scotland's Executive come to the aid of people here, shipping 160,000 litres of water across the Irish sea.

Mr Campbell went on to speak about the growing frustration of those living without running water.

He continued: "Yesterday (Wed Dec 29), when I heard that there were central points in Ballymena and Londonderry where people could collect water, I realised that it would be impossible for some people, particularly elderly residents, with no access to transport, to get this water. So I got permission from a senior NI Water official, to get around 100 bottles of water to deliver to homes in the Limavady, Coleraine and rural areas.

"People are very angry not only with not having any water, but also with the shambolic response and the lack of information. Some people told me they could live without having their water, if they only knew when it was going to be restored."

Mr Campbell, commenting on fears reported on Thursday that the water shortage could lead to a health crisis, said: "I don't think that we are at that point yet, but if we don't get this resolved in the next 24 - 48 hours then we will be in a worsening position.

"A lack of water will inevitably affect levels of cleanliness and hygiene, and in the middle of a flu outbreak, it just highlights the fact that we need to get this sorted out immediately."