Updated 11.20pm

MORE THAN 12,000 households are without power this evening after strong winds and heavy rain caused widespread damage to the electricity network across Ireland.

Donegal is currently the worst affected areas with more than 7,000 ESB customers experiencing disruptions to their electricity tonight.

ESB Networks  said network crews are working to reach all customers as quickly as possible, but the widespread nature of the bad weather coupled with the high number of faults means some customers will be without powr overnight.

Around 13,000 people have already had their power restored today, indicating the scale of the problem facing the country’s electricity network.

ESB Networks said there are more than 400 separate faults affecting the network, most of which have been caused by falling branches. Some customers have been left without supply since late afternoon.

Customers can check the ESB website for real-time information about which parts of the country have been affected.

“Network technicians are working as hard as possible to reach all customers as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said this evening.

ESB has asked customers to report any fallen wires or emergency situations to 1850 372 999.

ESB map showing the location of power outages as of 11.20pm tonight (Pic: ESB Powercheck)

Originally published 10.12pm

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