Severe weather leaves 15,000 homes in Northern Ireland without power.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

About 15,000 homes in Northern Ireland were without electricity last night as gales , snow and heavy rain brought down power lines.

Widespread damage was reported by Northern Ireland Electricity which called in 200 extra staff to help emergency teams restore supplies. A spokesperson for the company said: "We continue to reinforce our teams on the ground and are working on new faults as quickly as it is safe to do so.

"We have invested heavily in our service and our systems have been thoroughly tested. However, a rural network, like Northern Ireland's is still vulnerable to severe weather like we are experiencing this evening." …