Around 80,000 homes and businesses still without power in wake of Storm Darragh

According to the ESB, there has been "widespread and extensive damage" to electricity infrastructure nationwide, but some of the worst affected areas are in the North West, Midlands, and South East.

The extent of the damage caused by Storm Darragh has been compared to that of Storm Ophelia back in 2017, which left 385,000 customers without power at its peak.

ESB crews mobilised again at first light on Sunday morning to continue to restore power back to "as many customers as possible in challenging conditions."

However, due to the "significant scale of damage" the ESB has said that "significant numbers" could be without power for approximately a week.

Assessment of the extent of the damage is currently continuing.

The ESB has advised any customers who use electrically powered medical devices to contact their healthcare professional to "make alternate arrangements if necessary."

The ESB will continue to confirm restoration times for customers on PowerCheck.ie.

In a statement on Sunday, a spokesperson said: "We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will remain without power, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power.

"If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999."

Elsewhere, Uisce Éireann is also continuing to work to restore water services to customers following the storm.

The company says its crews have been working across the country, and since yesterday, they have restored water supply to around 40,000 customers.

While many areas can expect to see their supply return over the course of the day, there are a number of other locations where it will take longer to restore supply.

These are generally areas where ongoing power outages have impacted treatment plants and network pumping stations.

According to Uisce Éireann, current estimates indicate that 35 out of 698 water treatment plants have been affected.

They include the Manorcunningham and Letterkenny areas of Donegal, Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim, Longford town, Trim in Co Meath and parts of North Cork around Kanturk and Newmarket.

Details of all outages can be found on the Supply Updates section of the www.water.ie.

Uisce Éireann's head of water operations, Margaret Attridge, said: “Our crews have been on the ground since yesterday trying to restore supply as soon as it was safe to do so. 

"We have been carrying out repairs across the network and deploying generators and alternative water supplies as needed. We are also working closely with the ESB to return power to key water treatment plants and wastewater assets.

“We would like to thank the public for their support and patience. Where supplies have been restored it may take a number of hours for normal supply to return to all customers, particularly those on higher ground or at the ends of the network. 

"In these areas in particular, we would remind people to continue to conserve water where possible to allow reservoirs and networks to refill as quickly as possible.”