The court service has privately told Environment Minister Alan Kelly it will be unable to cope with the “excessive burden” of up to 500,000 court cases if people continue to refuse to pay their water bills.

There were hundreds of people at an anti-water charges demonstration outside Irish Water headquarters on Talbot street in Dublin today.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was given his first reprieve from anti-water charge protesters last night after none turned up at a Fine Gael party meeting he was attending in Cork.

U-turn won’t stem water protests - Organisers to continue with ‘mass boycott’ despite fee cuts