Raw sewage is entering water untreated every single day in 44 urban locations around Ireland, according to the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on urban waste-water treatment.

The Irish Times reports that waste-water treatment facilities in 50 of Ireland’s 185 large towns and cities have failed to comply with EU standards.

The EPA has warned that there's a high risk of pollution and a threat to public health from harmful bacteria, and that plans to install treatment facilities to treat the water will not be completed until 2021.

Nearly half of the 44 locations are in Cork and Donegal, and the full report can be seen here.

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