He was speaking after the Department for Infrastructure announced plans to appointment a forensic accountant to investigate the reasons why NI Water has been unable to live within its resource budget allocation this year.

“Today’s news is concerning and it is important due process is carried out to get to the bottom of the situation,” said South Down MLA Mr McMurray.

“That does not distract from the wider reality that NI Water will never be in a sustainable financial position so long as the Minister clings to a failed funding model that leaves our water infrastructure system without the investment it needs.

“Alliance has warned repeatedly of the societal, economic and environmental harm being caused by this approach, but successive Ministers have buried their heads in the sand and reached for a series of sticking plaster solutions that will barely make a dent in the funding shortfall facing NI Water.

“Proposals around developer contributions are the latest example of that, despite there being no certainty around how much funding the policy would raise and the very real risk it will simply drive up house prices and make homeownership even harder for lower-income families.

“The Minister needs to get the grips with the situation and bring NI Water into community ownership, so it can borrow against its asset base and invest that money in desperately needed improvements to our over-stretched water infrastructure. Without these steps, NI Water will continue to face damaging financial pressures and our communities and economy will continue paying the price.”