A Northern Ireland-wide hosepipe ban imposed during the recent heatwave has now been lifted.

Sara Venning, Chief Executive Officer of NI Water, said there had been a "fantastic response" from the public following the company's appeal to conserve water, with demand decreasing from three quarters of a billion litres per day to "near normal levels".

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"This means our water treatment works, which were struggling to meet this exceptional demand, with large scale water supply interruptions imminent, are now coping comfortably with demand," she said.

"We would stress, however, that a continued focus on water conservation is essential.  Ideally, we would like to see demand reduced still further or at least maintained at its present level to avoid the prospect of the ban having to be reintroduced. This is achievable if we continue to use water wisely."

(LM)