WOMEN standing in the upcoming local and European elections are being advised to avoid the dark, canvas in pairs and turn off all social media comments.

The gardai - along with two support groups for female election candidates - have come together to issue the new safety guidance, which includes restrictions on how to report incidents.

Women for Election are one of the groups involved.

Brian Sheehan is CEO of this organisation, and he spoke to Damien Tiernan on 'Deise Today' this morning (Friday).

You can listen back to their chat by clicking on the image above...