'It's a massive issue': Tipp locals vent frustration with water problems 

Locals in Castle Heights, Carrick Beg have been left without running water for periods ranging from days to weeks on end, according to Michelle Bradley

John Paul O'Dwyer, Michelle Bradley, Raymond O'Dwyer, Elaine O'Neill, Cllr David Dunne and Sarah Harris from Castle Heights, Carrick-on-Suir who have been left exasperated at regular water outages. Picture: Eoghan Dalton

In keeping with an old local tradition, when the water levels went so low in recent weeks that a rock in the middle of the River Suir surfaced, a fire was lit on the stone in a bid to entice the rain.

The weekend deluge shows the ritual may well have worked, but this year's drought continues to impact, as the record-breaking hot weather has left hundreds of people in Carrick-on-Suir without water for between days and weeks on end this year.