Some 55 per cent of households have now paid their water charges, according to the latest figures released by Irish Water.

A total of 830,000 households out of a customer base of 1.52 million have paid at this stage in the second billing cycle.

At the end of the first billing cycle in July just 44 per cent had paid the charges, but this has risen significantly during the second billing cycle.

In spite of the aggressive anti-water charges campaign, Irish Water has held to the view that about 80 per cent of those liable to pay the charge would ultimately do so.

An Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll just over a month ago found that 51 per cent of people had paid their water charges at that stage. The poll found that almost 80 per cent of people said they would ultimately pay the controversial charge.

The poll showed Fine Gael supporters were the most compliant, with 70 per cent having paid the charge.

Labour supporters had a compliance rate of 63 per cent, followed by Fianna Fáil supporters with 59 per cent. The numbers paying dropped to 41 per cent among supporters of Independents and smaller parties, while it was just 23 per cent among Sinn Féin supporters.