Delvin power outage garda say no reports of cable theft

Reports are circulating that the theft of power cables was at fault for the massive electricity outage in the Delvin area last night.

Powerful winds which hit the area were thought to be at fault for the outage, which is the second to hit Delvin in a week.

More than 300 properties were left without electricity in and around the village after 7pm yesterday, and power was not restored until later this morning.

Some impact on electricity supplies was expected after monsoon-like conditions hit the country yesterday, prompting Met Éireann to issue a status yellow weather warning.

But reports on social media pin the blame for the outage on the theft of power lines at Williamstown, on the Mullingar side of Delvin.

Power cables are often targeted by criminals for the valuable copper wire contained within them.

However, Gardaí in Mullingar have said that as of this afternoon, no reports have reached them about any stolen power lines.