A new report on lead contamination of the city's water supply has revealed extremely high levels of lead are present in pipes all over the city. This is despite previous indications that dangerous levels of the substance were confined to the Old Mervue area. An extensive report was released this week following a widespread lead sampling and testing regime, carried out over the last two months in areas including Bohermore, Claddagh, Mervue, Shantalla and Newcastle.

The results show alarming levels of lead across the city, with some water supplies containing as much as 314mg per litre. Some of the highest levels have been detected on the Connaire Road in Shantalla (314mg), Clarke Avenue in Mervue (179.5mg), Bohermore (129 mg) and Upper Newcastle (167mg). Concern has also been raised about properties in Salthill, Canal Road and the Claddagh.

Despite the shocking news, there are still no plans to install filtration systems in the affected areas as council officials are still investigating the possibility of replacing the lead distribution network. However, if Galway County Council chooses this option, it could be the end of 2009 before the situation is resolved.

City Councillor Catherine Connolly branded the new figures "extremely worrying" and said it was imperative that a member of the Public Analyst Office visited the chamber to discuss the best course of action as soon as possible.

"I think the conclusion that is coming through here is that the more testing we do, the worse the situation gets. We wanted door-to-door testing but in the end it was one in 30 houses and the results were shocking. We need to acknowledge that this is a much wider problem than we first thought and start giving helpful advice to those concerned," she said.

"Up until now, there has been contradictory information going out about how to deal with this, with the council saying one thing and the HSE saying something else. We need to get a member of the Public Analyst Office and a doctor in to the chamber as soon as possible to see what is really going on and what actions we should be taking. This is a major problem and we have to make every effort we can to help those affected."

No one from the council was available for comment on the issue at the time of going to press.

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