Irish Water has confirmed a nationwide hosepipe ban will come into effect from Friday morning.
The restriction will be in effect until the end of July, but the water utility says it will be kept under review and potentially extended.
Anyone found in breach of the restriction could face a €125 fine or potential prosecution.
A ban has already been in place for Dublin since Monday.
Here are some simple things that you can do outside to help #ConserveWater. For more on how to conserve water at home and at work, see https://t.co/BWj7NTeK1N. pic.twitter.com/WpsiUa8bSR
— Irish Water (@IrishWater) July 4, 2018
The ban covers actions such as watering gardens or filling pools with a hose.
Irish Water's Kate Gannon explained: “Imposing a national Water Conservation Order (hosepipe ban) reflects the serious need for water conservation now and over the coming months. It is essential that our water supply resources are conserved to help avoid further restrictions and outages over the coming weeks and months.
“Irish Water is mindful of the impact that a Water Conservation Order might have on businesses and the tourist industry and for that reason the prohibition is mainly limited to domestic users but does include commercial premises for non-commercial activities e.g. watering gardens attached to a business premises."
The latest water restriction comes amid ongoing drought conditions in the country, with Met Éireann forecasting that dry and warm conditions will continue well into next week.
