It is a big mistake for Sinn Féin to oppose water metering because it is a technology that works and protects against contamination, the ardfheis has been told.

Sinn Féin speaker Eamon MacDomhnaill from Co Monaghan called on delegates not to accept part of a motion on water charges that called for water metering to be halted. “We can’t turn our backs on technology that works and water metering works.”

Mr MacDomhnaill, who works in the delivery of water services, said it was “absolutely ludicrous” that water meters had become the symbol of the anti-austerity campaign.

In a passionate but unsuccessful appeal to delegates not to oppose metering, he said “you will not achieve an efficient and sustainable water service without universal metering”.

He added: “Whether or not you charge for that meter is an entirely different issue but you must have meters in the ground and they should have been done years ago”.

He called on all 23 party TDs and on members to “look objectively at this issue”.

The party “should get off this cul-de-sac we’re going into on this issue. It’s unclear whether Sinn Féin opposed the water meter or to the prioritisation of water metering.”

He also said there was a public health factor as a water meter box helped prevent contamination, because a non-return valve was also installed.

“You can’t have a back flow from a house if there’s a drop in pressure with a water meter box.” He said 20 per cent of contamination comes from backflow and “without a water meter box you have no protection. The meter box gives you that protection.”

If Sinn Féin wanted the delivery of a “quality, efficient, sustainable water service”, the party needed to objectively consider the evidence that showed that meters were needed to show water loss.

“I’ve seen meter systems where three houses were losing more water than was being used by the entire rest of the houses on that distribution system.”

He stressed: “We can’t turn our back on a technology that works.”