 The Republic of Ireland's lowest-ever December temperature on record was also recorded on Christmas Day, at -17.5 °C at Straide, County Mayo.At the end of December, thousands of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland and Wales were without water as melting snow and ice revealed many burst pipes.Northern Ireland Water said it was alternating supplies from reservoirs in order to help alleviate the crisis in which some properties had been without supplies since before Christmas.