Major blackout: 700 Laois homes without power as vehicle knocks ESB pole

ESB Networks have confirmed that over 700 properties in the Mountrath area were left without power on Wednesday morning, after a vehicle knocked an ESB pole.

Speaking with the Leinster Express / Laois Live, a representative explained that crews are working on restoring power to Laois locals.

"A power outage occurred in the early hours of this morning which affected over 700 customers in the Mountrath area," the representative said.

"The outage occurred a result of a third-party vehicle coming into contact with a pole, causing it to break.   

"ESB Networks crews mobilised immediately to identify the fault location, assess the damage, make the area safe and carry out the necessary repair work.

"A small number of customers remain without power, with restoration expected later this evening. Real-time updates are available on powercheck.ie  We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes and thank our customers for their patience," they said.

"This incident serves as a timely reminder that damage to our network by third parties can occur from time to time. We run extensive public awareness campaigns on staying safe and staying clear of our network," the representative finished.

Currently, 63 ESB customers remain without power after the blackout, with power expected to be restored by 5pm on Wednesday.