Northern Ireland news headlines: Varadkar becomes Taoiseach and warnings amid burst pipe surge

Eden Wilson has your headlines in Northern Ireland on Saturday 17 December.

Varadkar returns for second stint as Taoiseach

The new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he wants to work with parties here - and the British Government - to make progress on the protocol and restore powersharing.

It's the Fine Gael leader's second stint in post, taking over from Fianna Fail's Micheal Martin.

However not all are happy with the transfer of power, with the leader of the opposition calling for a general election.

NI Water sets up incident team after surge in burst pipes

60 million litres of water has been lost after a surge in burst water pipes across Northern Ireland.

150 crews were dispatched on Saturday morning to detect the source of the leaks, which have been linked to the cold weather.

NI Water is asking the public to check their water mains, especially those with vacant houses over Christmas.

Man, 30s, shot in leg in Bangor

A man, aged in his 30s, is in hospital after being shot in the leg by a gang of three men in Bangor.

It happened in the Whitehill Drive area at around 10pm on Friday night.

Police have said the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Person left with 'life-changing injuries' after Banbridge crash

Multiple people were taken to hospital after a crash in Banbridge.

It happened where the Edenordinary Road meets the A1 dual carriageway at around 10.50pm on Friday night.

One person may have been left with life-changing injuries.

Police have appealed for anyone with information or footage to get in touch.

NIFL Premiership: Wins for Cliftonville and Linfield

A hat-trick from Joe Gormley helped secure Cliftonville's 4-1 victory over Portadown.

While Linfield picked up a comfortable 4-0 win against Dungannon.

The Glenavon-Crusaders clash was postponed after a failed pitch inspection on Friday afternoon.

Weather: Rain spreading northeast on Sunday

Dry with clear spells in the evening leading to a frost in places.

Cloud will thicken later with a breeze picking up and some rain pushing into southern counties.

Minimum temperature -2 °C.

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