Schools getting back to normal as most reopen

VIRTUALLY all schools are expected to open today after the havoc wreaked by Storm Emma.

Principals and boards of management were taking their own decision on opening, depending on local conditions, and any continuing closures are isolated cases.

Bus Éireann ran 98pc of its school transport services yester- day – up from 90pc the day before – giving a clear indication of how the education system was almost back to normal.

Areas where school services did not run, or were disrupted, included eastern counties such as Wexford, Wicklow and Meath, which were worst affected by the severe conditions.

As schools reopened, there was widespread relief that they were not facing big repair bills as a result of the severe weather conditions.

Seamus Mulconry, general secretary of the Catholic Primary School Management Association, which represents about 2,800 primary schools, said that “very little damage” was reported.

Meanwhile, Lidl is reviewing whether it will go ahead with plans to expand its Jobstown supermarket or rebuild it after looters rammed it with a stolen JCB during Storm Emma.

The shop collapsed after the incident last Friday which resulted in the safe being stolen.

A Lidl spokeswoman said: “We currently have engineers and consultants assessing the significant damage caused to the building and we will await their recommendations before making a final decision regarding future plans.”

Snow that accumulated on the roof of the National History Museum on Dublin’s Merrion Street has led to the partial closure of the building after the roof sprang leaks.