A 'joyriding' digger thief has escaped with his life after his vehicle struck an ESB pylon on the outskirts of the Taoiseach's home town.

The culprit caused thousands of euro in damage to the ESB pylon which was left in a mangled condition following the collision outside Clara, Co Offaly.

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The digger was discovered burnt out at the scene. Units of the fire brigade and gardai cordoned off the crash site and alerted the ESB to deal with the damaged pylon.

The digger is believed to have been stolen from a local authority yard in the early hours of yesterday.

The ESB power supply in the area was not affected as a result of the incident.

(DW/BMcC)