A popular Co Down beauty spot is among the Northern Ireland attractions counting the cost of Storm Darragh as the clean-up continues.
While Mount Stewart, the 19th-century house and garden on the shores of Strangford Lough, is set to partially reopen on Tuesday, it revealed the “heart-breaking” news that it has lost a number of “beloved” trees, as wind and rain battered the country over the weekend.
It comes as many homes and businesses across NI are still awaiting the return of power.
“Our amazing teams have been working tirelessly to clean up after Storm Darragh and make sure it’s safe for you to visit again,” the nature reserve said in a statement.
“Some areas, including the formal gardens, Rose Garden, a section of the lake walk and parts of the trail, will remain closed for now while repairs are ongoing.”
The park lost a number of notable trees, including one of the bay trees in front of the house as well as the garden’s historic Cork oak.
“It’s heart-breaking, but we are so thankful for the incredible support of our National Trust Members,” a Mount Stewart spokesperson added.
“You help us protect and care for this very special place, and we couldn’t do it without you.”
Meanwhile, Belfast City Council has confirmed that the mountain bike and jumps park at Barnett Demesne and the Mary Peters Track will remain closed for essential maintenance following the storm.
Storm Darragh damages trees in Mount Stewart
Belfast Zoo will also be closed until Wednesday, due to damage caused by the weather.
NIE Networks said it is still working to restore power to the 1,000 homes currently without electricity.
Emergency crews continued to work into the night to restore power following “extensive damage to the network” caused by Storm Darragh.
Watch: Bus collides with building and roads blocked as storm Darragh batters Northern Ireland
Community assistance centres have remained open in several areas to help those without electricity. These include South Lake Leisure Centre in Craigavon, Seven Towers in Ballymena, Kilkeel Leisure Centre, Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre in Ballymoney, Omagh Leisure Centre, Donaghadee Community Centre and Dungannon Leisure Centre.
In addition, around 150 staff were on the ground across Northern Ireland to provide welfare visits.
It follows a weekend of chaos caused by high winds, which took one of Northern Ireland’s key power stations offline and caused massive travel disruption.
Sustained gusts between 60-70mph throughout Saturday caused 48,000 customers to lose power at one point.
Over the course of the storm, around 95,000 customers were impacted by power cuts.
Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary in Co Antrim was left without power for more than 38 hours.
“This means 38 hours without being able to use our electric heaters to keep the cats and dogs warm, 38 hours without lights to be able to work properly past dark, and 38 hours without so much as being able to use a microwave or kettle,” the sanctuary said in a statement.
While the wind and rain is set to stay away for the rest of the week, the Met Office has warned that NI could still face potentially disruptive conditions, with “patches of freezing fog” forming overnight tonight and becoming widespread into tomorrow morning.
Into tomorrow afternoon, the fog will be slow to disperse, with a few patches lingering throughout the day.
For the rest of the week, the Met Office forecasts sunny spells by day, with frost and fog patches likely at night.
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News Catch Up: Monday 9th December