Police, fire and emergency services across the country today asked asked people not to call 999 after a problem hit the system. A number of forces have tweeted out the alert including the Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police and Greater Manchester Police.
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Update: at 10.08 this morning BT said people should now call as normal: A spokesperson said: “Early this morning we experienced a problem with the 999 service.
“The situation is fast-moving as we fix the problem and our back up platform is now working – so people should call 999 as usual.
“We will provide updates as the issue is resolved.”
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London’s Metropolitan Police - the UK’s largest force - said many 999 calls were not connecting and advised people to call 101 in an emergency until further notice. South Wales Police, Greater Manchester Police and Derbyshire Police also shared the same post on Twitter.
Several police forces and fire and ambulance services said they were facing issues and said BT had reported a “system failure”. The NHS said: "There is an issue affecting the national 999 call system. BT is working to resolve this issue as soon as possible but, in the meantime, if you are unable to contact 999 in a medical emergency, please call 111 who will redirect your call."
West Yorkshire Police said the issue was with BT’s 999 lines and that the company was experiencing issues “all over the country”, while Northamptonshire Police also described the technical fault as “nationwide”.
Forces including the Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police and Greater Manchester Police have urged people to call 101 in an emergency and have asked those with non-emergency calls to ring later.
“Until further notice, please call 101 in an emergency,” the forces wrote in a shared post on Twitter. “Please only call in an emergency and please wait until later to make any 101 non-emergency calls.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Due to a technical fault that is impacting a number of emergency services, many 999 calls are not connecting. Until further notice, please call 101 in an emergency. “
It is not known how many emergency services have been affected, or when the issue will be resolved.
Which police forces and emergency services have shared the alert
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Metropolitan Police
South Wales Police
Greater Manchester Police
West Yorkshire Police
Derbyshire Police
Devon and Cornwall Police
Cumbria Police
Bedfordshire Police
Essex Police
West Mercia Police
Northamptonshire Police
