Protesters have broken up a meeting between Irish Water and local councillors in Cork today.

The meeting in the Silver Springs Hotel was initially suspended but then disbanded.

Ronan Bagnall, a reporter with the Evening Echo in Cork, was at the hotel.

"The meeting was due to get underway at about 11am," Bagnall said.

"There were about 20 protesters outside the conference centre in the Silversprings Hotel and they decided that they were going to make their way into the meeting.

"There was a security guard on the door who tried to prevent them from getting in and things got a little bit heated… they forced their way into the room.