Sinn Féin says new rules on repairs to the water system will punish everyday families for the failures of previous governments.

The party's condemned new rules by Irish Water, which will leave individual households to pick up the bill for repairs to water lines after the first year of operation.

The new water body says it will cover the cost of repairs for the first year - which will give people time to detect any leaks on their property.

But Sinn Féin's Brian Stanley says the state's investment in water meters would be better used elsewhere: