National: Tractor hits ESB pole knocking out power to almost 2,000 homes
ESB says it is a timely reminder to farmers to exercise caution around electrical network
Almost 2,000 customers lost power when a tractor struck an ESB pole in Laois.
An ESB spokesman said the incident acted as a timely reminder to farmers to be careful of the electrical network ahead of the busy summer season. The incident happened earlier.
“ESB Networks are currently responding to a fault in the Mountmellick area which occurred around 9am [on Thursday], impacting on 1,800 customers initially. Approximately 100 customers in the area are still impacted, with real time updates available on www.powercheck.ie.
The root cause of the fault was a tractor coming into contact with a pole on our medium voltage network. While thankfully it appears that no serious injuries have resulted on this occasion, it is a timely reminder to the public and the farming community to stay safe and stay clear of the electricity network. We apologise for the inconvenience to customers,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, a separate fault impacting on 116 customers in Rathdowney this Thursday morning has now been resolved. It’s unclear what caused the fault.