Storm Kathleen: Thousands without electricity in south and west Donegal

Thousands of people across Donegal have been hit with power cuts as Storm Kathleen takes hold.

ESB Network crews have been on high alert and have already restored power to many of those hit by electricity outages. 

As of 11.30am on Saturday, 595 premises were without power in the Kilcar / Glencolmcille area. 

In Killybegs, 554 premises were affected. 

The Lettermacaward area has 167 premises with no electricity.

A power cut in the Ballintra / Ballyshannon area left 12 premises without power, with a further 92  affected in Dungloe in 20 in Derrybeg.

Around 1,200 premises were affected in Inishowen earlier. Approaching 12 noon, this figure stands at 419.

ESB Networks is encouraging people to inform them if they experience loss of electricity to their home or business. 

“An outage only appears when it affects more than 10 properties,” a spokesperson said. “If you can't find an outage, report a fault.”

With high winds and a risk of falling trees and branches, fallen electrical wires could be fatal.

The ESB spokesperson said: “Never approach or touch fallen wires. Call our emergency service immediately.”

For an emergency such as fallen wire, people should call 999 0r 112.

To report a fault, the number is 1800 372 999 or 021 2382410.