People have been urged to call 101 instead of 999 after a ‘technical fault’ downed the emergency phone line.
The issue, which emergency services say was down to ‘system failure’ with BT, impacted first responders up and down Britain earlier this morning.
But London’s Metropolitan Police Service said the 999 call system has been ‘restored’ as of about 9:50am.
‘The 999 system has been restored following an earlier nationwide technical fault,’ the force said.
‘Anyone requiring the police in an emergency in London should call 999 as usual.
‘If your call is not an emergency, please dial 101.’
A spokesperson for BT said that while technicians are still fixing the problem, 999 calls should work ‘as usual’ now after its back-up network kicked in.
‘Early this morning we experienced a problem with the 999 service,’ they told Metro.co.uk.
‘The situation is fast-moving as we fix the problem and our backup platform is now working – so people should call 999 as usual. We will provide updates as the issue is resolved.’
It comes after the Met, as well as dozens of other emergency services agencies, reported that a ‘technical fault’ meant callers weren’t being connected to dispatchers.
In medical emergencies, people were advised to pick up the phone and dial 111, the non-emergency medical helpline operating in England, Scotland and some parts of Wales.
The NHS added in a tweet: ‘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.’
Police Scotland, Police Service Northern Ireland and each of the four territorial police forces in Wales all reported that their 999 hotlines had buckled in the past hour.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service told people to phone regional call centres directly.
The National 999 system is experiencing technical issues, many calls are not connecting. In the case of a fire emergency, please contact the below numbers until further notice:
ð²North: 01382 835804
ð²East: 0131 228 1367
ð²West: 01505 331661— Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (@fire_scot) June 25, 2023
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said the saga was ‘concerning’.
‘We are, of course, working with Scottish Fire and Rescue and others to see if that situation has been resolved,’ he told Sky News.
Some forces have said since that they received a ‘large volume’ of 999 calls because of the hiccup.
Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘Due to an earlier technical fault that is impacting police forces nationally, we are currently receiving a high volume of 999 calls.
‘We’re reminding people to only call 999 in an emergency and to make use of our non-emergency 101 number and our Live Chat service.’
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