THOUSANDS of homeowners across the State will continue to experience water restrictions over the weekend and into next week.

A combination of shut-offs and pressure reductions are being imposed in at least six local authority areas because of burst pipes caused by frozen ground thawing.

And families in some counties have been forced to live without water for more than two weeks.

The Conway family, who live in Menlo, Co Galway, were given a temporary tank by Galway County Council after it emerged that they had been without water for the past 19 days.

Mother-of-four Orla Conway said: “We’ve been able to flush a toilet and everybody has been able to have a shower, which was great; but it has been dire.

“Only that we have been on holidays, we’ve had the time to go and find water and come back with it. But we’re both back at work next week so it’s going to be extremely difficult to get water.”

Thousands of people living on the eastern side of Galway city will endure yet another weekend without water.

City council officials confirmed that homeowners and businesses linked to the Ballybane and Briarhill reservoirs would experience either very low pressure or no supply at all overnight.

The restricted supply, between 10pm and 7am may also be repeated later tonight as the council attempts to build up water levels in the Ballybane reservoir.

“People living in parts of the east side of the city will experience just a trickle of water due to low pressure while this procedure is taking place, or they may have no water at all. The problem is that the Ballybane reservoir has not had a chance to properly re-fill over the extended period of severe weather, followed by the thaw which brought the leaks,” a city council spokesman explained.

Adding to the problem is the continued discovery of leaks in pipes, caused by the thaw.

Water tankers will continue to be deployed in the suburbs.

Problems also remain in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, where a ‘boil water’ notice is in place. Homeowners are also being told to boil water in Connemara, mid-Galway and in Gort.

Restrictions remain in place in Kildavin, Tinnahinch and Borris, Co Carlow, and while supply is almost back to normal in Clare, restrictions remain in place in Corofin and Ruan.

A burst mains resulted in cut-offs in Ballinabooly, Co Kilkenny, while restrictions were put in place in Ballymote, Co Sligo, last night. Reservoir levels remain low across the country, while Waterford is also affected.

There will be no let-up in restrictions in Dublin until at least next week, with concerns about the impact of the return of colleges and schools.