ESB working to restore power to around 7,000 homes

Around 7,000 homeowners are still without electricity this afternoon.

The ESB said that this morning around 15,000 householders were in darkness after power lines were damaged in storm force gales.

The worst-affected regions were the north and north-west with about 9,000 blackouts in Donegal and Sligo.

The ESB said another 2,500 power losses were reported in Midland counties and another 1,000 in the south.

An Atlantic storm brought gales gusting to 91 knots, 165kph (102mph) at Malin early this morning – a speed only surpassed seven times in Ireland, Met Éireann said.

Gardaí have also warned motorists to drive with caution on the roads today as high winds continue to play havoc with travel plans.

A number of roads around the country were blocked with fallen trees and debris after high winds overnight.

The strong winds and heavy rain have also caused disruption to some Eircom phone services.

The company said it has received reports of almost 5,000 faults on its system.

The areas worst affected include counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork and Kerry.

Eircom says it has deployed additional crews to repair the faults as quickly as possible.

ESB spokesman Brian Montayne said homes hit by cuts should expect to be back on the grid tonight with only the most isolated left without power.

“We’d crews out from 4am. The real epicentre of the impact has been the north-west, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo. Crews were working in extremely difficult conditions,” he said.

Met Éireann said northern counties were hit by gale force winds on average of between 100kph (62mph) and 140kph (87mph).

Winds were strongest in Connacht and Ulster, with violent storm force 11 battering coasts between Bloody Foreland in Donegal and Fair Head in Co Antrim.

In a posting on its website, Met Eireann said at 5.40am in the morning its station on Malin Head, north Donegal, recorded a 10-minute average windspeed of 68 knots, 126kph (78mph).

That is equivalent to Beaufort scale 12, hurricane force.

The previous record for Malin was 67 knots, recorded on December 26, 1998 while the national record of 71 knots, 131kph (81mph) was recorded at Foynes, Co Limerick on January 18, 1945.

The 91 knot gust at Malin, recorded around the time the 10 minute average was measured, was just short of the station’s record gales of 98 knots, 181kph (112mph) from September 16 1961.

Met Éireann stressed that the near record figures were based on provisional data.

Locally, ESB and Eircom repair crews said they were working in some of the most difficult conditions they have faced.

Storm conditions expected to moderate as the night goes on.

Meanwhile, gardai issued a traffic alert to exercise extreme caution in the face of storm-force winds and heavy rain today.

They warned that driving conditions will be difficult across the country and urged motorists to cut speed, be aware of hazards such as fallen trees, branches and other debris, particularly on minor roads.

Drivers have also been asked to turn their vehicles’ lights on.

Noel Brett, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), also advised motorists to take care on the roads following the New Year break.

“Roads will be busy today with people getting back to work or travelling to airports and ports after the bank holiday weekend and festive season,” he said.

“I would ask each and every one of you to allow extra time to reach your destination, keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front and adjust your speed in windy or wet conditions.”