Many secondary roads across the county remain in a dangerous condition this morning.

While main roads are said to have improved overnight rain has left compacted ice on back roads and estates particularly slippery.

Meanwhile more cold weather and snow is on its way, particularly for Ulster in the early stages of next year

Evelyn Cusack is from Met Eireann and you can click below for an audio weather update:  

Donegal Senator Cecilia Keaveney has made the top ten list of the highest claimants of expenses covering a two year period and published in today’s newspapers.

Senator Keaveney was the fifth highest claimant of all TD’s and Senators in 2007 and 2008 claiming for thirty thousand six hundred and twenty nine euro.

The latest figures show that over that period Senator Keaveney was one of only eight senators or TD’s that travelled abroad more than ten time.

However the Senator is the furthest from Dublin and her expenses include a taxable commission allowance.

British diplomats complained bitterly in private about the lack of security provided by the Irish authorities for Lord Mountbatten following his assassination by the IRA.

Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979, when the IRA detonated a bomb on his boat at his holiday home in Mullaghmore, Co Sligo.

Three other people died in the explosion.

The information, reported in today’s Irish Independent, has been released by the British National Archives at Kew under the 30-year rule.

It shows that in a telegram to Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington the British ambassador in Dublin, Robin Haydon, said there was a widespread belief the attack on Lord Mountbatten could have been prevented.

He said the concerns about the level of security provided by the Garda Siochana were shared by local people who had “greatly liked and respected” the peer and had the Garda Siochana been more vigilant and conscientious, the murders might not have happened.

Mr Haydon said he had been told by Lord Mountbatten’s daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks, that it was the first year when the boat did not have a police guard on it during the day.

He said he found it extraordinary that the boat was apparently not searched by the garda before it sailed.

Donegal County Manager Michael Mc Loone has said the water crisis which is affecting the county is unprecedented in its scope, with sparodic leaks all over the county.

Mr Mc Loone says reservoir shutdowns similar to those carried out last night will be put into effect again tonight, and said that extra staff have been called in to deal with the problems.

He repeated earlier calls from engineers to people not to use the emergency line to seek information, and said the council’s own website will be updated and regular updates will be posted through the media.

He also pledging to ensure that the emergency line, which is currently routed through a call centre in Cork, is answered as quickly as possible, and sais regular updates will be given through the media, and posted on the council’s own website www.donegalcoco.ie

Meanwhile, after tankers were sent to Muff again today to address shortages there, a tanker was deployed in Lifford this evening to serve the Croghan Heights area which had been without water for a long period.

Natural Resources Minister Conor Lenihan T.D.has approved regulations governing the wild salmon fishery in 2010, with the measures coming into effect from Friday.

In the Ballyshannon District, the Duff, Drowes, Eany and Glen rivers will open subject to bag limits, while in the Letterkenny District, the Owenea and Owentocker, Gweebarra, Crolly and Crana rivers will open subject to similar conditions.

Two rivers are being opened on a catch and release basis in 2010, they are the Eske in the Ballyshannon District and the Clady in the Letterkenny District.

As problems with water supplies continue across Donegal, householders and keyholders
are again being urged to check unoccupied houses and premises for burst pipes, and report any leaks to Donegal County Council immediately.

Overnight, Donegal County Council shut down reservoirs across the county on a phased basis to allow supplies build up again. However, indications are it will take at least another day or two before anything resembling normality is restored

The council’s Director of Water Services Seamus Neely says the biggest problem of all is that there is not one single fault, there are numerous small faults having a cumulative effect.

Con Mc Laughlin of the Water Service has confirmed that the council’s emergency lines are being diverted to a call centre in Cork, and many went unanswered yesterday because of the level of calls being received.

He says the company has brought in more staff to handle queries from today.

A senior roads official with Donegal County Council has said there are no budgetary or supply issues with gritting in Donegal. Michael Mc Garvey said that a full service has been provided on all but one of the roads on the council’s approved list, and while there had been some concerns about supplies of salt, stocks have been replaced today. The one exception is the road from Doochary and Termon, which the council says has been so bad that it’s not been possible to maintain a full gritting programme on the route.

Once again, caution is being urged today, with very slippery conditions on secondary roads, and also on footpaths.

Donegal Councillor Mick Quinn is calling on central government to allocate funding for the upgrading of the road from Kindrum to the Harry Blaney Bridge over Mulroy Bay.

Cllr Quinn says while Donegal County Council does not have the necessary funding to up-grade this road, extra funding was announced in the national budget for tourism infrastructure, and he’s calling on the government to deploy some of that money to Donegal.

He says for the bridge to reach its full potential, the roads leading to it must be suitably upgraded.

As problems with water supplies are reported around the Donegal, householders and keyholders
are being urged to check unoccupied houses and premises for burst pipes and if necessary, shut off and drain the water system.

The plan now is to shut down reservoirs on a phased basis throughout the night to allow supplies build up again.

The planned interruptions in service tonight will be as follows -

All reservoirs in the Donegal and Stranorlar Electoral Areas will be shut down from 8 o’clock until 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.

In the Glenties Electoral Area, there will be severe interruptions from 8 o’clock tonight to 8 o’clock tomorrow morning in the Rosses and Gweedore, Gorthork and Cloghaneely, and the areas around Creeslough and Fintown.

In the Letterkenny Electoral Area, there will be severe interruptions from 8 o’clock tonight to 8 o’clock tomorrow morning in the Downings and Churchill areas.

In Inishowen, there will be severe interruptions from 8 o’clock tonight to 8 o’clock tomorrow morning in the areas of Carndonagh, Malin Head and Cashelcraw.

Meanwhile, serious problems continue with supplies in East Inishowen, with the council struggling to provide supplies in Moville, Redcastle, Muff, Quigley’s Point, Ishkaheen, Drumhaggart, and Sappagh.

More disruptions are forecast for these areas, with a tanker deployed at Muff Hall until 10 o’clock tonight, and again from 10am tomorrow morning.

Donegal County Council is being inundated with reports of problems as a result of the cold spell, with water supplies and road conditions causing concern.

We’ve had reports of two county council gritters going off the roads this morning in South West Donegal, and effortsare being made to get a truck with essential supplies such as milk and bread to a community in the glen of Glenties, which has been totally cut off for a number of days.

There have also been reports that the council is running low on supplies of salt and grit. A senior engineer confirmed to us today that there are supply issues, but roads will be gritted this evening and tonight, and fresh supplies are due in tomorrow.

Meanwhile, as problems with water supplies are reported around the county, householders and keyholders
are being urged to check unoccupied houses and premises for burst pipes and if necessary, shut off and drain the water system.

Mayor Cllr Brendan Byrne says the water department is under severe pressure, but crews are out in force today. Senior Executive Engineer Con Mc Laughlin says some of the major problems are being experienced in areas serviced by Lough Mourne, and also in East Inishowen, particularly in the area from Redcastle to Ishkaheen

The county council’s emergency numbers are under severe pressure, people are being urged to be patient. if they are trying to report faults.

The numbers are 074 91 72288 for the roads service, and 074 91 72399 for the water service.