Power restored to ‘vast majority’ after Storm Bram

Power has been restored to the vast majority of homes in Northern Ireland who lost electricity due to Storm Bram.

The storm, which hit on Tuesday, caused major disruption with a number of road closures flight cancellations, and flooding in several areas.

NIE Networks said a few thousand properties had lost power because of the storm, adding it expects remaining customers will have electricity supplies restored later on Wednesday.

In the Republic of Ireland, about 8,000 homes, farms and businesses across the country remain without power on Wednesday morning.

An amber wind warning covering the counties of Londonderry, Antrim, Fermanagh, and Tyrone ended at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday.

“Storm Bram caused a low level of damage to the electricity network across Northern Ireland with strong gusts particularly impacting the areas of Downpatrick, Newry and Newtownards,” a NIE Networks spokeswoman said.

Crews had worked into the night to restore power, she said, adding the remaining “small pockets, particularly in the wider Downpatrick area, will have power restored by Wednesday afternoon.”

On Tuesday part of the sea wall at Rhanbuoy Park in Carrickfergus washed away, and there was major disruption across the road, sea, rail and air travel networks.

Schools were advised to be flexible on school leaving times, with many choosing to send pupils home ahead of the worst of the storm.

In the Republic of Ireland, some 54,000 properties lost power on Tuesday, but by Wednesday morning that number had fallen to 8,000.

“We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes and thank impacted customers for their patience as our crews continue to work to safely restore power,” an ESB Networks spokesman said.