Lidl supermarket destroyed 'by looters' after snow storm

Police in Dublin said on Friday they had made several arrests after an attack on a supermarket hours after the city was hit with its worst snowstorm in decades.

The Lidl supermarket had been looted, according to several Irish media outlets, but police and the owner of the supermarket declined to provide details of the incident.

State broadcaster RTE showed video footage from social media of a mechanical digger pulling down part of a wall of the supermarket.

Another video, posted online by the Irish Independent newspaper, showed people walking away from the back of the store with what appeared to be items from the store. 

German discount store Lidl said in a statement there had been a serious incident at its store in southwest Dublin that was being investigated by police. It said the store was closed at the time and no one was injured.

A police spokesman said several people had been arrested after a supermarket was damaged in an incident in the area.

Dublin's fire service said in a statement they had attended the address following reports of a fire, but that none was found.

Snowstorms shut most of Ireland on Friday and forced Britain to call in the army to help battle some of the worst weather seen for nearly 30 years.