Gangs of thieves used the chaos caused by Storm Emma to use a stolen digger to rip off the roof of a supermarket before smashing the store’s safe.

In a series of mobile phone videos posted on the internet, looters were seen running through a blizzard to ransack a Lidl supermarket as an excavator was used to destroy the building in the west of Dublin on Friday night.

Looters were seen emerging from the store carrying food and alcohol.

Police were initially unable to respond to the raid because roads to the industrial estate were blocked by drifting snow.

Irish police said the store suffered substantial damage during the raid on Friday amid one of the worst storms to hit the region in decades

In a statement police said: “Following reports of burglary and theft of vehicles, Garda units deployed in the Tallaght District and nine arrests were made to date.

"Substantial damage was caused to a supermarket on Fortunestown Lane and further damage to another premises in Jobstown.”