The sudden thaw which followed last week's freezing temperatures and snow has left 1,600 Northern Ireland homes without water because of burst watermains.

The Water Service has said the number of burst watermains has risen sharply since the snow began to thaw on Sunday.

The areas worst affected are County Down and County Armagh.

John Kelly from the Water Service said: "This is the most significant number of bursts in a period dating back to 1995-1996 in the last freeze.

"Indeed I think it is almost a record of 140 bursts inside the space of about 24 hours.

"It is about 12 times the normal daily burst rate."

Repairs service

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has said it has dealt with 3,000 calls from people facing problems caused by the cold weather.

The executive said it had brought in extra staff to deal with calls and extra contractors to help with repair to burst pipes and heating systems over the holiday period.

A Housing Executive spokesman said: "The Executive would reassure tenants that contractors will respond as quickly as possible."

Executive tenants needing emergency assistance can ring one of the additional numbers on Monday: 90 329442 or 90 248312 to arrange emergency repairs.