Over 500 people without power in Edenderry

The ESB is reporting that around 500 customers are now without power in North Offaly as Hurricane Ophelia takes hold in the county.

The customers are located predominantly in Edenderry, and are suffering a major outage, although customers in Clonbullogue and Bracknagh are also affected.

Power outages are spreading through the country.

The ESB has not given an estimated restoration time for these customers but they have confirmed that staff will not be sent out to repair lines until the storm has passed, with the exception of emergency situations. 

More power outages are expected as winds strengthen in Offaly in the afternoon.