A member of the Socialist Party says the number of people who have paid their water charges 'cannot be revealed' because the figures are 'on the floor'.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Dublin South West TD Paul Murphy said that he submitted a Freedom of Information request to Irish Water to find out how many people have paid their water bill.

The request revealed that the number of bills past their pay-by date then stood at 800,000 - but Irish Water would not confirm how many people had actually paid their bill because this 'risked disrupting ordinary business'.

Deputy Murphy, who has been calling for protesters to boycott paying their bills, says that this silence on numbers speaks volumes:

Last month it was reported that approximately 100,000 households are expected to receive incorrect Irish Water bills.

It is believed that many customers will receive flat rate bills because the controversial state utility has been unable to match meters to dwellings. This means they will not benefit from savings if they have consumed less water than the capped fee.

For a family the fee stands at €65, while it is €40 for a single person.

Yesterday it was revealed that thousands of homeowners are facing bills of around €5,000 to replace lead pipes in their home.