Companies struggle to restore power and phone services

MOUNTAIN HAZARDS:THE ESB will attempt to reconnect 200 households this morning, many of whom are located in the higher areas of the Wicklow mountains close to Roundwood. The houses were without electricity last night following bad weather.

The move comes as telephone company O2 will attempt rectify a fault with its service in the north Wicklow area. The fault has left a number of its customers without mobile service. A spokesman for 02 said the company had identified a problem with its network on high ground and access by repair crews had been a problem.

Some households in upland areas have been snowbound since Christmas and high winds in recent days have caused trees to fall across power lines and snow to drift. Wicklow County Council has warned it may have to cut off water supplies at night.

Roads across much of the area remained impassable. On Monday teams from Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue, and the Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue rescued two stranded British tourists who had become snowbound in their vehicle on the military road above Drumgoff.

Also on Monday a Television crew from Sky News had to rescued when their satellite navigation system routed them through the mountains on their way from south Wicklow to Enniskerry on the Wicklow/Dublin border.

On Tuesday night the Dublin Civil Defence and the Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue team went to the aid of two locals who had gone driving in a 4X4 vehicle near the Sally Gap. The spokesman emphasised the dangers of the Sally Gap region where he said snow was so deep it was not possible to discern where the road lay.

Elsewhere, water supplies were disrupted in Sandyford, Enniskerry Road and Stepaside areas.

Last night Dublin City Council was providing water from tankers in parts of Cabra, Clonshaugh, Finglas, Coolock, Ballymun and Artane on the northside of the city. On the southside tankers were in place at the junction of Rathgar Avenue and Rathgar road and near Bushy Park.

Local authorities have advised consumers to check their websites for information on possible curtailment of water supplies.

Last night the ESB confirmed it was it had begun increasing the levels of water being released from the Inniscarra Dam in Cork, following recent heavy rainfalls in the Lee catchment area.

The company does not expect the increase – understood to be 100cu m a second – will cause any flooding downstream.

In Kilkenny the Severe Weather Local Co-Ordination Group was stood down yesterday afternoon.