Crèches, nursing homes and hotels using their own wells for drinking water could pose a serious health risk, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report has warned.

One million people in Ireland get their drinking water from private supplies that are not run by Irish Water, while authorities say 'many more' people drink water from such supplies in their daily lives.

However, the EPA report says many of the supplies - where water is drawn from springs or wells - are not registered with local authorities and so do not get tested properly to ensure the water is safe.

Last year E. coli - which is often linked to contamination from human or animals waste - was found in 51 small private water supplies serving commercial buildings such as hotels and B&Bs, or public buildings like schools and crèches.

Meanwhile, no E. coli testing was reported for more than 700 other small supplies, with the EPA saying that unknown area "poses a serious health risk to the public".

Image: Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is concerned about the health risks particularly for children and the elderly - and it's urging owners of all private water supplies to register with their local authority.

Darragh Page, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement, explained: "We know that there are a number of private supplies not on the local authority register. We would encourage all private water suppliers and local authorities to ensure that all private water supplies are on the register and are tested regularly.

"It is essential that all water supplies are tested to confirm that consumer’s health is not being put at risk. Where water supplies are contaminated, water suppliers should take action to protect consumers."