As billing for water services commenced last week, 1 in 5 insist they will not pay their water bills.
According to research carried out by Irish Water, as seen by the Sunday Independent, as many as 270-thousand eligible households are unlikely to pay the charges when bills land next January.
The most common reason given for not paying was because respondents disagreed in principle with water charges, followed by affordability issues, poor water quality, a belief they were already paying for water, and water wastage through leaking pipes.
However, the Government's options to force people to pay are extremely limited and has said it will not cut off the water of those who don’t pay.
Unlike other utilities, Irish Water will not have the power to cut off the supply to any home.
