'Staff left with no work and loss of pay' - Tipperary area still without power and water

Thousands of homes and businesses in Tipperary, and across Ireland, are still without power and water after the destructive Storm Éowyn passed over the country last week. 

The storm, which caused unprecedented damage to the national electricity network, initially left 768,000 customers without power marking one of the most severe weather events in Irish history.

Sinn Féin Cllr for Tipperary County Council and Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District David Dunne has expressed his disappointment in the situation and said people within his constituency are "left with no work and the loss of pay".

In a post on Facebook, Cllr Dunne said: "Spare a thought for the residents of Ballynoran area of the Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District, they have no water for the last three days and this is the 8th time since Christmas that it’s gone.

"This area includes Dove hill shopping centre. Unfortunately they had to close their restaurant and coffee shops. Staff left with no work and the loss of pay.

"I have been working with Irish water and have asked the council if they can help in any way. Unfortunately as of the time of this post the water is still off.

"Just to clarify Dove Hill remains open for business it’s just the restaurant and coffee shop that had to close. This is from the manager of the centre."

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ESB Networks say they expect to reconnect the majority of customers by Friday, January 31, but approximately 100,000 customers may remain without power into the following week as crews tackle the most severe damage.

To speed up efforts, technicians from across Great Britain are already on site, with additional reinforcements arriving from Austria, Finland, the Netherlands and France in the coming days.