Storm Darragh lashes Northern Ireland as people warned to stay at home

Authorities have warned people to only undertake essential travel as Storm Darragh continues to lash Northern Ireland.

Trains and some bus services were suspended on Saturday and nearly 50,000 customers have been left without power after high winds caused severe damage to the electricity network.

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said a night of high winds resulted in “widespread” damage to the network with broken overhead power lines, fallen trees across lines and broken poles.

A spokesperson for NIE said hundreds of extra staff have been brought in, adding: “Our incident management centre at Craigavon has been opened, as have our local incident centres which are in locations across Northern Ireland and used by our teams to co-ordinate our localised response.

“We have mobilised additional call agents to deal with any queries customers may have regarding the repair process in their area.

“We would like to remind customers that if they should experience a power cut they can report the fault online at nienetworks.co.uk or call the NIE Networks customer helpline on 03457 643 643. Customers can also follow us on social media for regular updates.”

Meanwhile, a major power station reported damage to a chimney from the storm, adding it had halted electricity generation temporarily while the damage was assessed and addressed.

EP Ballylumford station manager Tim McCullough said: “We are fully committed to ensuring the safe restoration of operations.

“The safety of our staff and the integrity of our equipment are our top priorities, and we are working closely with all necessary parties to minimise any disruption to electricity supply.”

In the early hours of Saturday morning, a bus was involved in a road crash.

A Translink spokesperson said the driver had been the only person on board at the time and was taken to hospital for treatment.

“We can confirm that the driver has since been discharged from hospital,” they said.

“Our immediate priority is the welfare of our colleague, and we are providing support to them and their family. An internal investigation is under way, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances of the incident.”

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