Three men are due before court in Dublin tomorrow over the theft of E-S-B overhead power cables.

Gardaí arrested five men in Rathangan, County Kildare earlier - two were released without charge.

More than 140 kilometres of power lines have been stolen this year for their copper, at a replacement cost of 4.6 million euro.

Detective Inspector Noel Browne says this large-scale theft has been causing major power outages across the country - but also poses a serious danger to the public: