About 11,000 remain without power in NI after Storm Éowyn

About 11,000 properties in Northern Ireland are still without power for a seventh day after Storm Éowyn on Friday.

On Thursday, Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) Networks confirmed that a further 70 specialists are on their way from Great Britain to help restore electricity to all customers.

This is in addition to the 300 engineers already working on the ground in Northern Ireland since last week's storm.

Meanwhile, a "vital" generator and trailer has been stolen from NI Water from a site near Omagh.

Alex Houston, network operations manager at NIE, told BBC News NI the process of connecting those without power back to the grid will take longer as further repairs affect smaller groups of customers.

He described the last week as "incredibly mentally exhausting" for his team, adding that they have also had to bring in recently retired staff to help with the effort.

In preparing for future weather events Mr Houston said: "There will be lessons to be learned from this, and they will be built into our emergency planning going forward".

The storm also affected water supplies in some parts of Northern Ireland.

NI Water said the stolen equipment is needed to pump water to over 300 properties.

It said water supplies to those properties are "now at risk" because of "selfish acts of a few individuals who are taking advantage of the situation we are currently in following Storm Éowyn".

"It is shocking that while our teams are out night and day working to restore water supplies to customers, others are taking advantage of the situation by stealing essential equipment," NI Water said.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they received a report about the theft from the Erganagh Road in Omagh, County Tyrone, on Wednesday.

The FG Wilson 30KVA generator and 12" x 6" Ifor Williams trailer were reported to have been taken from a reservoir in the area.

The police said it happened sometime between 21:30 GMT on Tuesday and 01:00 on Wednesday morning.

A farmer from Northern Ireland has had no other power other than a torch to help with lambing on his farm after he lost electricity almost a week ago.

Thomas Bigby, a farmer in Keady, County Armagh, has been without power since Storm Éowyn on Friday.

Mr Bigby described it as "very difficult", but said: "You just have to get on with it."

In County Fermanagh, teams of engineers have been working on the road from Kesh to Pettigo trying to reconnect power cables brought down by fallen trees.

They are some of the dozens of workers who have been brought in from around the UK.

Twenty-two workers from Finland, who are staying in Irvinestown, also began repair work on Thursday.

In Pettigo, on the Fermanagh/Donegal border, James Gallagher has no electricity in his home and only a partial supply in the shop and post office next door.

The refrigerated shelves are bare, but he told BBC News NI he is doing his best to stay open.

He has been able to pay out pensions and benefits by calling through the transactions to Donegal Town but said many older people in the village are suffering.

"It's difficult; we have staff not in obviously, sales are about a third of what they should be, and we haven't got half the products for the customers," Mr Gallagher said.

"So it's not really very satisfactory."

In the County Fermanagh town of Ederney, Greg Boxer and his wife normally work from home, but, although they now have electricity, they have no mobile or internet, so are working from a community hub in the village.

"Within the village there's a huge sense of community," he said.

"We certainly spare a thought for people who are still without electricity in Fermanagh, still without wifi-broadband, and some even without water as well.

"So we are lucky to a certain extent, but we wouldn't mind being back on soon."

Speaking on BBC's Good Morning Ulster, Mr Bigby described being a farmer without heat and power as "frustrating".

He said he has been using straw to keep the sheep warm and plans to move them into a "little pen" because "there's a lot of frost this morning".

He says he has been on the phone to Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE) and says: "They seem to be trying but it must be an awful mess."

"Normal life grounds to a halt," he said.

But added: "We just have to get on with it."

Mr Bigby's parents, who are in their 90s, live nearby and are also without power.

Specialist engineers have arrived from across the UK to help restore power, but NIE has warned it could be Monday, 3 February, before all properties are reconnected.

At its peak 30% of all premises in Northern Ireland had their power disconnected.

Northern Ireland has seen the highest gust in 27 years.

In the Republic of Ireland, there are 101,000 customers still without power, down from a peak of 768,000.

A man died after a tree fell on the car he was driving in Raphoe, County Donegal, on Friday.

NIE has said there are 11 Community Assistance Centres, external and more than 60 drop-in centres open until 19:00 GMT to help those without power.

Facilities offered range from showers, food, hot drinks, and work-from-home hubs. NIE Networks reps are available for support.

To report faults or emergencies you should contact:

Northern Ireland Housing Executive: 03448 920 901

Openreach Damages to Network: 08000 23 20 23 (Individual faults must be logged with Communications Providers)

Gas networks: 0800 002001

NI Water: 03457 44 00 88 or visit niwater.com

Flooding Incident Line: 0300 2000 100

NIE Networks: 03457 643 643 or visit nienetworks.co.uk