Electric Ireland has put a moratorium on disconnections for the duration of the Government's Level 5 restrictions for curbing the spread of Covid-19.

The moratorium comes into effect on Thursday and will run until December 1st, meaning none of its 1.3 million residential or business customers will have their supply cut off during this time. Customers experiencing financial difficulty are asked to contact the energy supplier to talk through their payment plan options.

The move follows a similar moratorium during the first Covid-19 lockdown earlier this year.

Electric Ireland also said there would be price freeze on residential gas from October 1st, while SSE Airtricity confirmed it would freeze both electricity and gas prices for customers throughout the winter. SSE Airtricity also said households having difficulty paying their bills should contact them, promising "to work with our customers to resolve any worries they have".