‘No boiled spuds for at least a week’ Northern Ireland residents told

Authorities are warning that the water shortage in Northern Ireland that is forcing people in Northern Ireland to bake and roast their potatoes could last at least seven more days, perhaps even a week.

Burst mains have meant that as many as 40,000 people in the region have had to cope without water since the weekend, but determined locals have already discovered several other ways to cook their potatoes rather than the traditional method of boiling.

Farmer Seamus Mclafferty told us, “I can cope without having a bath every week, but I need my spuds three times a day at the very minimum.”

“I did try to go without at first but after a few hours I started to get withdrawal symptoms, so I knew I had to come up with another way.”

“I tried cooking them up in a pot of whiskey but I nearly burnt the house down and the whisky just didn’t taste the same afterwards. That’s when the wife suggested we try roasting.”

Northern Ireland water shortage

Mclafferty continued, “I got a little excited about the idea at first but then she told me that it’s a method of cooking, not just a fun way to share your missus with a pal.”

“I was a bit wary of it at first but they tasted grand, and the sweating and the shakes seemed to ease off after a few minutes.”

With no sign of water returning and little information from the suppliers, local authorities have warned that spud users will have to continue to cook up their pot in these new methods at least until the new year.

Dr Waleed Khan explained, “Because of the lack of awareness in alternative methods of ’cooking up’, we’ve released a guide on the subject but we’re not encouraging people to get hooked on potatoes.”

“We’re just trying to ensure that they use methods that are more hygienic than injecting.”