Thousands without water as new warning issued

About 10,000 customers in the Republic of Ireland are still without water as snow and icy weather conditions continue to grip much of the country.

All non-urgent outpatients appointments in a number of hospitals have been cancelled and thousands of homes are without power.

Schools in several counties were closed on the first day of term.

Bus and rail services were also impacted as a result of the conditions, which were most prominently felt in counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Limerick, and southern Leinster.

Irish national weather forecaster Met Éireann issued a fresh yellow warning for snow and ice on Monday afternoon for the entire country until midday on Tuesday.

An orange warning for low temperatures and ice has been issued for 22 counties, due to come into effect at 20:00 local time until 10:00 on Wednesday.

The warning is for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Cavan, Monaghan, Munster and Connacht.

A separate orange warning for low temperatures will come in at 18:00 on Wednesday and will last until 11:00 on Thursday morning.

That warning is for Dublin, Louth and Wexford.

The water service Uisce Éireann had been working to restore water supplies to 43,000 customers in north Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Dublin. As of 18:00 local time, about 30,000 customers were without water.

Uisce Éireann said that supplies to a further 27,000 people are at risk due to low reservoir levels.

Head of water operations, Margaret Attridge, said crews alongside local authority teams are working in difficult, freezing conditions to access water treatment plants and pump stations to return water supplies to those affected by bursts on the network and electricity outages.

She added: “We are urging people to protect outside taps and to insulate exposed pipes and tanks which are particularly vulnerable to freezing.

“We are asking people to check for leaks and to turn off water to exterior pipes or unoccupied premises.”

The Defence Forces has deployed 18 vehicles and a number of personnel to help transport essential healthcare workers and patients.

On Monday, Tánaiste (the Republic’s deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin thanked the Civil Defence teams for their assistance.

“This essential ongoing work has included assisting HSE staff in transporting palliative care and dialysis patients; helping Gardaí with vehicles stranded on roads; assistance to homes with no power or water; the transport of healthcare staff, and the provision of fuel for generators for vulnerable home care patients,” the minister said.

“Through their dedication, civil defence personnel have offered significant assistance to people in need during challenging weather conditions.”

Met Éireann has warned that orange low temperature warnings could be issued for later in the week.

Earlier, the roof of a sports complex in Tralee, County Kerry, collapsed under heavy snow, RTÉ reported.

Emergency services were alerted at 07:00 local time following the collapse at Tralee Regional Sports and Leisure Complex.

The building was empty at the time and no injuries have been reported.

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors basketball club uses the venue.

The club’s chairperson, Terry O’Brien, said it was “a horrible call” to learn that the roof had collapsed.

“The blessing was that there was no one in the hall, that it fell early in the morning, because we were playing there two nights ago,” he added.

It has since been secured by emergency services while the building and grounds have been closed to the public.

ESB Networks, which runs the power grid, said that about 10,000 homes, farms and businesses remain without power across the country. The main locations affected are Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary.

A spokesperson said: “We anticipate power restoration will take a number of days in those areas that are worst affected due to the hazardous weather conditions and accessibility challenges.”

Earlier on Monday, there was disruption to incoming and outgoing flights at Cork, Shannon and Dublin airports.

Northern Ireland’s spell of cold weather is continuing with a yellow warning for snow and ice in force until 11:00 GMT.

The Met Office said snow and icy patches may lead to some disruption to travel.

The Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) urged road users are advised to exercise caution due to icy roads throughout Northern Ireland and some bus services have been affected.