170km/h gales leave thousands without power

THOUSANDS of homes were left without electricity or telephones yesterday after 170km/h gales battered Ireland — the third strongest since records began in 1888.

Gales left 10,000 homes in Co Donegal without power and cut off telephones to 8,500 homes nationwide, with engineers having to work around the clock to restore services.

Met Éireann said the wind on Tuesday night and yesterday morning reached 170km/h at Malinhead, Co Donegal, the third highest since records started 120 years ago.