Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council have been advising residents to conserve water during the cold spell. Water demand has remained at a very high level since before Christmas. A further sharp increase has occurred since the beginning of January. Demand is currently running at a higher level than at any stage in recent years.

Due to the cold weather the number of broken mains has increased dramatically. Council crews are repairing these breaks as they arise. Please report any location where they see water rising or running to :

Water Services : 2054800 (Office hours 9 – 5)

After Hrs Number : 6778844 (outside office hours only)

In some cases householders may be leaving taps running. This is contributing to the problem and should be avoided.

The Website taptips.ie has simple, commonsense things you can do to conserve water :

•    Only use your appliances when they're full: a washing machine on full cycle uses up to 65 litres of water; dishwashers 20 litres. You'll conserve water and save money by reducing your energy bill.

•    Place a displacement device such as a hippo bag or a bottle filled with water into the cistern of your toilet. A third of all the water used in the house is flushed down the toilet. Some larger toilet cisterns can continue to work effectively with a smaller flush.

•    Reduce the time you spend in the shower. A regular shower will use about 35 litres of water in 5 mins.

•    Use a basin to rinse/clean your fruit and vegetables instead of letting the tap run

For more water conservation tips, and to calculate how much water you use, check out taptips.ie