Thousands of commuters were caught up in a major traffic jam on and around the M50 motorway in Dublin yesterday following an accident involving power lines.
A 38,000-voltage power line was brought down by a lorry carrying a fully extended crane. Three power lines fell across the M50 at the Finglas exit at about 2.30 p.m.
Traffic jams up to 10 miles long were reported during rush hour yesterday evening.
The M50 is one of Dublin's main traffic arteries, so as well as local traffic the accident affected commuters going north and west as well as to Dublin airport.
Side roads were also affected as motorists tried to avoid the motorway. Five ESB crews arrived quickly on the scene, but the painstaking nature of the work meant that the power line was not moved until about 7.15 p.m.
While the lines were programmed to de-energise once they were hit, the workers had to adopt stringent safety procedures because of the possible danger, said Mr Michael Kelly, spokesman for the ESB.
He said the ESB would be sending a full report to the Health and Safety Authority.
"It was extremely unfortunate and we apologise to everyone affected, but there was no way this could have been anticipated," he said. "It was an extremely serious incident."
Electricity supply in the area was not affected because an automatic supply took over as soon as the line was hit.
