Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Heatwave: Call to conserve water

A hosepipe ban took effect in Northern Ireland at 18:00 BST on Friday.

NI Water has appealed for people not to use water for washing cars, filling pools, or sprinkling gardens, as supply failures have already hit some areas.

Temperatures peaked at 30C on Friday, but are expected to be lower today.

One fire appliance will remain to monitor a gorse fire on the Glenshane Pass . It had been burning for three days but is now winding down.

Separately firefighters dealt with a large gorse fire in the Bloody Bridge area of the Mournes but that was brought under control.

When is it too hot to work?

NI Water says it is pumping out water to its distribution network as fast as possible, but demand is at an all-time high, with people using approximately 200 litres per day each, compared to the normal 153 litres.

With some areas, including parts of Belfast and Armagh, already experiencing loss of pressure and supply failures, NI Water has asked people to:

Take shorter showers

Turn off the tap when brushing teeth

Keep a jug of water in the fridge

Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need

The last hosepipe ban in Northern Ireland was 23 years ago in 1995.

Image copyright Eileen Christie Image caption The advice from NI Water is essentially head to the beach this weekend if possible

The company's chief executive, Sara Venning, asked for people to be responsible and help conserve water.

"Don't use your hose, don't sprinkle the garden, don't wash your car and take the weekend off and go to the beach," she said.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Gorse fire on Glenshane Pass

Speaking on Good Morning Ulster, Ms Venning said NI Water had "maximised water production" but also needed help from customers.

"It is essential that we all work together to reduce the unprecedented levels of demand on our network."

In the Republic of Ireland, Irish Water has announced a ban on the use of hosepipes in the greater Dublin area from 2 July.

Irish Water said the ban will be in place until 31 July, but the situation will be kept under review.

Sunshine set for the weekend

By BBC Northern Ireland weather presenter Geoff Maskell

It has been an incredible few days of weather. Not quite record breaking - but very, very close.

The warmest June temperature ever recorded in Northern Ireland was 30.8C at Knockarevan, back in 1976.

On Thursday we came within a whisker of that, recording highs of 30.5C at both Derrylin and Thomastown.

The lengthy spell of fine weather is all due to an area of high pressure which has been anchored over the British Isles for the last week.

High pressure in summer means, fine sunny days, light winds and initially clear cool nights. At the start of this week the nights were still quite pleasant.

But as the ground warms up day by day, as it has done this week, even those night-time temperatures start to rise.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption NI Water wants customers to turn sprinklers off

The fine weather is set to stay with us through the weekend, all of next week and on into the early part of July.

There's only a 20% chance of rain in the Belfast area before 11 July.

But the temperature will drop a little, from a "scorchio" 30 degrees this week to just a very pleasant 23 or 24 degrees next week.

Inland Fisheries in the Republic of Ireland asked anglers and the public to report any sightings of fish possibly distressed by high water temperatures and low water levels.

They have also asked anglers to practice catch-and-release fishing during the heatwave - meaning all fish caught are returned to the water.

The police have reiterated their warning to not leave dogs in cars.</s>Anyone flouting the Northern Ireland hosepipe ban could be hit with a huge fine, NI Water has confirmed.

The ban was set to take full legal force across Northern Ireland from 6pm on Friday and advice has been issued on which activities are prohibited.

NI Water has strongly advised the public to adhere to this advice as 'ignoring it will only cause further strain on resources and could lead to interruptions to supply'.

And disregarding the ban could land you in hot water with a potential hefty monetary penalty.

“NI Water would hope that people will voluntarily work with us to reduce their water usage over the coming days. Unnecessary use of water i.e. washing cars, watering lawns etc, is putting the water supply of your own household and that of your neighbours at risk," a spokesperson for NI Water said.

“A loss of water supply for households is a completely avoidable situation. however, if people continue to waste water it will become a reality. If everyone simply restricts unnecessary use of water, there will be plenty for everyone. By following the simple guidelines, it will negate the need to enforce the hosepipe ban with penalties. If penalties were to be imposed they can include a fine of up to £1,000.

“The ban would be enforced by NI Water and is a criminal offence but one which is prosecutable by NI Water and not the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).”

MORE: Hosepipe ban enforced across NI - here's all you need to know</s>Ireland has recorded its highest temperature since 1976, it has been announced. The temperature topped 32 degrees at Shannon Airport, as the country continues into its third day of the heatwave. Northern Ireland saw similar temperatures and strife as Fermanagh recorded a temperature of 30.4 degrees, while a mile-long gorse fire broke out on the Glenshane Pass in County Londonderry. Firefighters had been tackling the blaze for over 24 hours on Thursday, in conditions the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service called “one of our most difficult incidents”.

Translink Rail services also felt the heat as they were forced to delay and cancel services across Northern Ireland as rail lines reached over 50 degrees and began to buckle. The weather has also caused a “critical” issue for water usage. Irish Water has stated it is “very concerned” about the possibility of having to impose longer-term water restrictions due to the weather. The company has labelled the situation “critical” and says long-term restrictions will become unavoidable if the warm conditions continue into the autumn with lower-than-normal rainfall.

It was forced to take additional measures to protect supply as water usage continued to increase. The group’s Drought Management Team has been meeting daily to monitor water supplies and demand around the country. One hundred water supply schemes are now at risk, with 4,000 homes already impacted. Customers in Kilkenny, Longford, Athlone, North Galway, Louth and Kerry have already experienced restricted water supply and outages in some cases. Some areas in Cork, Wicklow, Limerick, Kilkenny, Carlow, Tipperary, Clare, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal, Galway, Roscommon, Laois, Limerick, Kerry, Waterford and Offaly have also been identified as being at risk.

The record level of summer consumption is also depleting raw water reserves needed for the coming months. Demand for water is increasing while levels in rivers and lakes are dropping, which means less water available to treat and supply to homes and businesses. Irish Water’s Corporate Affairs Manager Kate Gannon said: “If the drought is prolonged, water restrictions would become unavoidable if demand does not continue to drop. Irish Water are appealing to the public to be continue to be mindful of their water usage. “Irish Water are also currently assessing all legal options open to us and how they could be implemented. “The situation remains critical and we are continuing to seek the public’s help. “Every effort the public make to conserve water will help to minimise risk of supply loss to them and their community.”</s>Northern Ireland Water is asking the public in the north west to help avoid water potential water shortages by monitoring their use.

NI Water said they recent hot weather has seen a marked increase in water usage.

Des Nevin, Head of Customer Services, said staff at treatment works have increased production by close to 25 per cent to meet the current usage, which has risen from normal levels of around 570 million litres per day to a high of 700 million litres yesterday.

“That means that each of us is using approximately 200 litres each day compared to the normal 153 litres,” he said.

“This increased production allied to the implementation of a well established water supply management plan, which includes increased monitoring of our assets and network, has enabled us to protect the supply of water to customers. However, we would ask the public to work with us as they can play a major part by helping to reduce demand. If demand for water continues at this rate, our storage levels will become a real concern.

“We would expect, and have seen, a rise in water usage particularly in rural areas where, for example farms need more water for animal welfare, and in popular local tourist areas. However, we are asking everyone to think carefully about the use of water around homes and gardens.”

1 Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth - A running tap can use 6 litres of water per minute.

2 Take shorter showers - By showering one minute quicker you could save up to 10,000 litres of water.

3 Take a shower instead of a bath - One bath can use up to 100 litres of water, whereas an efficient shower uses under 50 litres.

4 Lawns are great survivors - a sprinkler can use as much as 1,000 litres of clean drinking water in a single hour; more than a family of four would use in a whole day. Even when they look dry and brown, they’ll spring back with the first heavy rain, so avoid watering them wherever possible. Why not re use that water from the kids’ paddling pool and water the garden with it.

5 Use a bowl for washing vegetables - You can reduce water waste by using a bowl to wash and prepare your vegetables. Then you can use the water to rinse your recycling bin.

6 Make full use of your washing machine - Half load programmes on washing machines use more than half the water and energy of a full load, so wait until the machine is full before switching it on.

7 Turn off the tap - Simply turning off the tap while washing your hands or shaving can save over 6 litres of water every minute!

8 Fix leaking taps - A dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week.

9 Keep a jug of water in the fridge - Planning ahead means there is no need to run the water until it gets cold.

10 Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need - This will save water and energy.</s>Water companies have asked customers to conserve supplies by not using hosepipes or water sprinklers – as the heatwave continues into the weekend.

The first hosepipe ban began in Northern Ireland at 6pm on Friday, and Severn Trent Water has asked people to be “careful with their water”.

The Met Office said the highest temperature on Friday was 32.5C (90.5F) in Porthmadog in north-west Wales and highs of 30C-31C (86F-87.8F) are expected on Saturday.

This compares with average temperatures for the time of year of 17C (62.6F) in the north and 21C (69.8F) in the south, senior forecaster Marco Petagna said.

“There’s a lot of fine weather still to come,” he said.

“There will be low cloud to start the day, especially across central and eastern areas of England and Scotland and possibly in Wales.

“But that will soon burn away through the morning.”

The recent hot spell has put a strain on utility companies, which have been pumping millions of litres into their systems.

NI Water chief executive Sara Venning said: “We have maximised our water production and need customers’ help to reduce demand.

“We are asking customers to take heed of the hosepipe ban and stop non-essential water use – using hoses and sprinklers is causing demand to exceed the capacity to supply.”

Severn Trent said: “We’re set for another hot weekend, and, with demand for water really high, we’re producing millions of extra litres.

“We’re asking customers to be careful with their water and for now avoid using the garden sprinkler or hosepipe.”

Meanwhile, gritters – a sight more usually associated with winter – have been deployed in some areas, spreading crushed rock dust on to melting roads to create a non-stick layer between the surface and vehicles.</s>NI Water has said a hosepipe ban will come into effect from the weekend.

The company has appealed for people to stop the use of water for "non-essential purposes".

This includes the watering of private gardens, washing cars and filling domestic paddling pools.

NI Water say they are pumping out water to their distribution network as "fast as they can" but demand is at an all time high.

Some areas, including parts of Belfast and Armagh, have already experienced loss of pressure and supply failures.

NI Water CEO Sarah Venning asked for people to be responsible and help conserve water.

"Don't use your hose, don't sprinkle the garden, don't wash your car and take the weekend off and go to the beach," she added.

Speaking on Good Morning Ulster Ms Venning said NI Water have "maximised water production" but they also need help from customers.

"It would be our intention to introduce a formal hose pipe ban in an effort to protect the public against the increased threat of supply interruptions."

She added: "That process however requires some time to take effect and in the meantime, it is essential that we all work together to reduce the unprecedented levels of demand on our network."

NI water said each person is using approximately 200 litres per day compared to the normal 153 litres.

The company is asking people to:
• Turn off the tap when brushing teeth
• Keep a jug of water in the fridge
• Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need</s>A hosepipe ban will take full legal force across Northern Ireland from 6pm tonight, NI Water has confirmed.

Heatwave: NI set to be hotter than Barcelona, Nice and Valencia today

The public are being asked to limit the use of tap water to the essentials, like drinking, cooking and washing.

During the ban, the following activities are prohibited:

- Watering outdoor plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe;

- Drawing water, using a hosepipe for domestic recreational use;

- Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool using a hosepipe;

- Cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises using a hosepipe;

- Cleaning paths or patios of domestic or other non-commercial premises using a hosepipe;

NI Water has strongly advised the public to adhere to this advice as 'ignoring it will only cause further strain on resources and could lead to interruptions to supply'

The company’s CEO Sara Venning said: “We have maximised our water production and need customers’ help to reduce demand. We are asking customers to take heed of the hose pipe ban and stop non-essential water use - using hoses and sprinklers is causing demand to exceed the capacity to supply.

“I would like to pay tribute to our staff who have been working over recent days and through the night to ensure water treatment works are running at full capacity. In addition, tankers have been deployed to assist with topping up service reservoirs. However, we also need the help of the public and businesses to reduce the level of demand. In recent days our treatment works have been operating at near maximum levels with over 700 million litres of water being put into the network which is some 25% more than normal for this time of the year. Despite these steps, demand continues to outstrip supply.

“The hose pipe ban is in place to protect the public against the increased threat of supply interruptions. During this time, it is essential that we all work together to reduce the unprecedented levels of demand on our network.”

Customers in some areas, including parts of Belfast and Armagh, as well as other rural high lying areas, have already experienced loss of pressure and intermittent supply failures.</s>The first hosepipe ban of the summer has come into force in the UK - and more could be to come if the scorching hot temperatures continue.

Roads have melted and train tracks have reached 49C (120.2F) as the prolonged hot spell continues into the weekend with almost no end in sight.

The first hosepipe ban began in Northern Ireland at 6pm on Friday, with plenty more hot sunshine forecast for the coming days.

Northern Ireland Water said demand was outstripping supply, leaving them with no option but to bring in the ban in order to save water.

Elsewhere across the UK consumers are being urged to take simple steps to reduce the amount of water they use.

Top tips include taking a shorter shower, not leaving the taps running and re-using paddling pool water for plants in the garden.

NI Water chief executive Sara Venning said: "We have maximised our water production and need customers' help to reduce demand.

"We are asking customers to take heed of the hosepipe ban and stop non-essential water use - using hoses and sprinklers is causing demand to exceed the capacity to supply."

According to the latest information from the Met Office, the highest temperature on Friday was 32.5C (90.5F) in Porthmadog in Wales.

The mercury hit 30.1C (86.2F) in Castlederg in Northern Ireland, 29.4C (84.9F) in Bridgefoot in England, and 28.4C (83.1F) in Threave, Scotland.

Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson said temperatures may be slightly lower over the weekend, but will widely be in the balmy mid to high twenties.

Britons enjoyed the hottest temperature of the year for the fourth day in a row on Thursday as the mercury soared to 33C (91.4F) once again in Porthmadog in Wales.

While temperatures appear to have peaked for now, they will remain high into the weekend and early next week.

Saturday could see highs of 29C (84.2F) in England and Scotland, 27C (80.6F) in Northern Ireland and Wales, and predicted highs of around 31C (87.8F) in some parts of the UK by Monday.

Gritters have been deployed in some areas, spreading crushed rock dust onto melting roads to create a non-stick layer between the surface and vehicles.

Motorists have been advised to use warm soapy water to wash sticky tar from their vehicles.

Some railway track soared to nearly 50C (122F), leading them to expand and bend.

Trains had to be stopped from running over a section of track near Carlisle station on Thursday.

Speed restrictions have been in place all week on the route from London Waterloo to New Malden due to the scorching temperatures, causing delays to services.

Translink Rail services also felt the heat as they were forced to delay and cancel services across Northern Ireland on Thursday as rail lines reached over 50C and began to buckle.

The Met Office 's heat-health watch alert has remained at level two all week, meaning social and healthcare services are at the ready to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

This week is the first time since 2013 all four nations in the UK have seen temperatures of 30C or above, the Met Office said.

Public Health England issued a warning saying the extreme heat may pose a risk to the most vulnerable.

The rising temperatures have also come with warnings to be careful near water and in the countryside, where fire crews have been tackling wildfires.

The heat has already claimed casualties.

The family of 13-year-old Ryan Evans, whose body was recovered on Wednesday, two days after he got into difficulty at Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent, warned of the dangers of playing and swimming in open water.

They said: "We just cannot emphasis enough the dangers of swimming in open water, especially where young children are concerned.

"Our message is simple, please don't do it."

A 17-year-old boy was found dead in the River Aire in Leeds in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a search and rescue operation.

It is believed he got into difficulties while swimming on Tuesday evening.

The body of a man was also recovered from a lake in Nutfield, Surrey, on Monday.

The RNLI has urged those heading to the seaside to seek out beaches with a lifeguard.

There is bad news for farmers growing crops and the firefighters and soldiers battling the ongoing incident on Saddleworth Moor in north-west England as no significant rainfall is forecast in the coming days.

Mr Madge said: "There is a low probability of showers on Sunday. If they do bring some rainfall it would be in the South West but that will be very sporadic."

Parts of Saddleworth Moor have been alight for six days, with firefighters saying it could take weeks to extinguish.

A new moorland blaze - on Winter Hill, near Rivington, Lancashire - broke out on Thursday with huge plumes of smoke visible from the area surrounding the moorland.

Firefighters are also still fighting a 500-metre long gorse fire on the Glenshane Pass in County Londonderry, more than 48 hours after it first broke out.

The RSPCA called on pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals in the heat after receiving 625 calls about animals in hot environments between June 11 and 24 - the majority about dogs in hot cars.

The hot spell is good news for gardeners, with horticultural experts saying it could help produce excellent vegetables, fruit and flowers.

The Royal Horticultural Society have suggested people use waste water from the kitchen to keep plants nourished and to reduce demand for water.</s>Latest: Met Ãireann has issued a status yellow drought warning until Friday as the warm weather is set to continue.

Drought or near-drought conditions are expected to last throughout the coming week.

Irish Water's hosepipe ban to conserve water is beginning on Monday in the Greater Dublin Area.

The ban could be extended around the country as up to 100 water supply schemes are at risk.

Met Ãireann's John Eagleton says these conditions have been seen in Ireland before but it's very unusual.

"Well it's quite a while actually, I'd say we would have to go back to 1995, certainly we had [the hot weather] in 1975/1976 but I couldn't be absolutely sure about it," he said.

Earlier: Dublin hosepipe ban could be extended to rest of the country as water shortages continue

The Dublin hosepipe ban could be extended to other areas where water supplies are under pressure.

More than 100 supply schemes are at risk across the country.

Irish Water has announced the measure in response to the "unsustainable levels" of demand during the heatwave.

People in the Greater Dublin Area could face prosecution or a fine if they do not comply with the ban which kicks in on Monday.

The Dublin ban will be in place until the end of July but may be extended due to the dry conditions.

Eamon Gallen from Irish Water says people need to conserve as much as they can.

"People can't use hosepipes to water their gardens, cleaning their cars, cleaning boats, filling or maintaining domestic swimming pools

The hosepipe ban has also been implemented in Northern Ireland as the heatwave puts a strain on water supplies.

Water companies have asked customers to conserve supplies by not using hosepipes or water sprinklers – as the heatwave continues into the weekend.

The first hosepipe ban began in Northern Ireland at 6pm on Friday, and Severn Trent Water has asked people to be “careful with their water”.

The recent hot spell has put a strain on utility companies, which have been pumping millions of litres into their systems.

NI Water chief executive Sara Venning said: “We have maximised our water production and need customers’ help to reduce demand.

“We are asking customers to take heed of the hosepipe ban and stop non-essential water use – using hoses and sprinklers is causing demand to exceed the capacity to supply.”

Severn Trent said: “We’re set for another hot weekend, and, with demand for water really high, we’re producing millions of extra litres.

“We’re asking customers to be careful with their water and for now avoid using the garden sprinkler or hosepipe.”</s>NI Water has said a hosepipe ban will come into effect from the weekend.

The company has appealed for people to stop the use of water for "non-essential purposes".

This includes the watering of private gardens and washing cars.

Some areas, including parts of Belfast and Armagh, have already experienced loss of pressure and supply failures.

The hot weather has seen an increase in the demand for water.

NI Water CEO Sarah Venning said that "demand continues to outstrip supply".

She said: "We have maximised our water production and need customers help to reduce demand.

"I am appealing to customers to stop non-essential water use - using hoses and sprinklers is causing demand to exceed the capacity to supply," she said.

"It would be our intention to introduce a formal hose pipe ban in an effort to protect the public against the increased threat of supply interruptions."

She added: "That process however requires some time to take effect and in the meantime, it is essential that we all work together to reduce the unprecedented levels of demand on our network."

NI water said each person is using approximately 200 litres per day compared to the normal 153 litres.

The company is asking people to:
• Turn off the tap when brushing teeth
• Keep a jug of water in the fridge
• Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need
NI Water have introduced a hosepipe ban in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1995 due to the threat of drought. Elsewhere, firefighters are tackling a large wildfire in Glenshane Pass for a third day.