Residents in the north Kildare town of Leixlip have called for ongoing sewage problems to be addressed.
Locals say that odours from the sewage network can regularly be smelled in the town, with business owners saying it is affecting trade.
More than 3,000 homes are due to be built in the town over the next five years, but locals have called on Irish Water to address the sewage issue before they proceed.
Independent Councillor Bernard Caldwell told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that the sewage system, which he claims was built "30 or 40 years ago", is incapable of handling the current capacity.
"Nowadays the sewage comes from Kilcock, Maynooth and Celbridge into this - in those days you would have had a couple of hundred houses in each of those towns, now you have thousands," he said.
"Capacity is the problem, it’s not meant to take what it’s taking.
“It’s only going to continue until proper investment is put into this by Irish Water," he added.
Irish Water say they have undertaken a number of initiatives to address the problem, including cleaning the sewers.
The company also says it is planning to install network management systems at the pumping stations to reduce high flows arriving simultaneously from Maynooth and Celbridge.
It added that it is planning to deliver €125m in waste water capital projects in the county under a capital investment plan to 2021.
However James Lawless, a Fianna Fáil TD for North Kildare, said the issue needs to be addressed sooner due to development plans for the town and surrounding areas.
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