Republic of Ireland weather: Thousands without water as new warning issued

About 43,000 customers in the Republic of Ireland are 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.

Met Éireann warned of very cold nights over the coming days with widespread frost and ice and temperatures struggling to get above freezing during the day.

The Water Service Uisce Éireann said it was working to restore water supplies to 43,000 customers in north Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Dublin.

It 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.”

ESB Networks, which runs the power grid, said that about 34,000 homes, farms and businesses remain without power across the country. The worst affected counties include Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Laois.

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.