The three core aims of the River Basin Management plan are to reduce and prevent pollution, to let more rivers run free and restore their natural ecosystem functions, and continued investment in water infrastructure.

The notices are due to urban wastewater stormwater overflows posing a risk of pollution to bathing water quality at the beaches and are expected to last five days.

Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to pooer mental health in older people, according to research published on Monday

The annual EPA report on drinking water showed there was 561,000 people using "at risk" water supplies in 2023, an increase from 481,000 in 2022

The EPA said this presents a “significant opportunity” for householders to fix their septic tanks and resolve open advisory notices.

A water treatment plant in and around the east Clare village of O’Brien’s Bridge had distributed inadequately disinfected water for a full year

The EPA said the council had been unable to demonstrate that it had complied with key requirements of its statutory functions

Households and businesses are still putting the majority of their waste in the wrong bin, the EPA said