Householders could be asked to pay €188 per hour for an engineer from Irish Water.

The Examiner reports that the hourly rate will be charged for a call-out in response to complaints about potential waterpipe or meter problems.

It also claims this cost will rise to €282 per hour if the request is made out of hours.

From January, the average household will pay €278 in water charges annually.

Any issues to do with water pressure, rotting or leaking pipes will also be the responsibility of the householder.