Police forces and fire and rescue regions across the UK have asked people not to call 999 due to a “technical fault”.
London’s Metropolitan Police – the UK’s largest force – said many 999 calls were not connecting and advised people to phone 101 in an emergency until further notice.
South Wales Police, Greater Manchester Police and Derbyshire Police also shared the same post on Twitter, along with South Wales Fire and Rescue.
The post said the fault had impacted a “number of forces” – but did not specify which ones.
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”.
“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.”
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said in a Twitter post: “Following a critical technical issue that is affecting emergency services nationally, calls to 999 are not currently working.
“Until resolved, you should contact 101 in any emergency. We will update you when it’s resolved.”
Which police forces have shared the alert?
- Metropolitan Police
- South Wales Police
- Greater Manchester Police
- West Midlands Police
- West Yorkshire Police
- Derbyshire Police
- Cumbria Police
- Bedfordshire Police
- Essex Police
- Northamptonshire Police
- Gwent Police
- Devon and Cornwall Police
- Avon and Somerset Police
Which fire and rescue services have shared the alert?
- South Wales Fire and Rescue
- North Wales Fire and Rescue
- West Midlands Fire and Rescue
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue
