Laurence MacKenzie steps down after thousands of households left without water over Christmas and New Year

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The head of Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has resigned over the mishandling of the water crisis that hit the province over Christmas and the New Year in the wake of freezing temperatures.

The state-owned company confirmed late last night that Laurence MacKenzie had stepped down from his £250,000 post. At the height of the crisis tens of thousands of households had their water supply cut, with some families going without running water for up to 11 days. About 158 properties were still cut off last night.

MacKenzie said in a statement: "I readily accept and recognise that there were aspects of the way in which we handled the situation that could have been better.

"In particular our ability to communicate with our customers and let them know the reasons for and the times at which they were going to be taken off supply.

"This failing added to the considerable inconvenience experienced by our customers; for that I apologise sincerely both personally and on behalf of the organisation."

A spokeswoman for NIW said that the board had accepted MacKenzie's resignation and had agreed terms of settlement consistent with his contractual entitlement.

"Accordingly the board is making a recommendation to the minister for regional development, Conor Murphy, that he approves the settlement terms proposed by the board," she added.

Last week senior executives at the company resisted growing calls for "heads to roll" at the organisation. But media attention has continued to focus on MacKenzie's future.

The company had insisted earlier that his focus was to get everyone back on the water supply network.

Critics of the company said MacKenzie should give a full account of the crisis to a Stormont scrutiny committee, which meets later today, before he resigns.

A member of Stormont's regional development committee, Conall McDevitt, said MacKenzie had a duty to be accountable to the committee.

"If he was to resign before Thursday that would be a dereliction of his duty," he said.

The representative for the nationalist SDLP said the minister responsible for water, Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy, also had questions to answer, regardless of MacKenzie's future.

"Reports that Laurence MacKenzie has resigned his post as chief executive of Northern Ireland Water will not come as a surprise. Given the events of the past fortnight it was almost inevitable.

"However, many questions still remain unanswered about the role he and other individuals within NIW, the department of regional development and the minister himself have played in this entire fiasco of the recent water crisis.

"Mackenzie's resignation will not be the end of this matter.

"It is noticeable the minister has now presided over the departure of three NIW chief executives, the dismissal of four board members and the suspension of his permanent secretary.

"Many will question now how long minister Murphy's position, that he is the only one who is blameless in the long line of disasters to hit his department and its agencies, is really sustainable."

Sinn Féin has accused opponents of scoring political points over the crisis, but McDevitt said Northern Ireland Water had been dogged by controversy under Murphy.

The minister has promised an independent inquiry into NIW's performance. Murphy has said the terms of reference of the latest review are close to being agreed and it will not be barred from examining the performance of his department.