Water restrictions for Dublin and parts of Kildare and Wicklow have been lifted following an assessment by Dublin City Council.

However, pressure will be reduced at night over the coming weeks.

Local authority officials inspected water levels at the Ballymore Eustace treatment plant earlier today before making a decision to return to a full water supply.

Homes and businesses across the greater Dublin area have been affected by water shortages since 30 October, following problems with production at the Kildare plant.

A spokesperson for the local authority said much of the reduced water supply had been recovered in recent days and water users would receive a return of supply this evening.

Households and businesses have been asked to help conserve water by restricting use during the day, as much as possible.

In a statement the local authority said: "Dublin City Council, on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities, wishes to thank customers across the entire Dublin region for their patience during the period of water restrictions, which we had to put in place over the past week.

"Due to the cooperation of all water users, we managed to save a significant amount of water and our regional strategic storage, which was at an extremely and unsustainably low level over the past week, has improved."

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan welcomed the ending of restrictions.

Mr Hogan said: "Having visited Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment on Monday and seen the efforts made to address the problem, I must commend the tireless efforts made by the engineers in Dublin City Council in getting this matter sorted out.

"This problem with the water has been a timely reminder of just how important the establishment of Irish Water is.

"The tight capacity of water supply in Dublin has demonstrated over the past week the need for a sustainable funding model for water services and infrastructure."