After a “technical fault” shut down the emergency phone line today, people were briefly advised to contact 101 rather than 999.
Emergency services claim that BT’s “system failure” was the cause of the problem, which earlier this morning affected first responders all throughout Britain.
The 999 phone system, according to London’s Metropolitan Police Service, has been “restored” as of around 9:50am.
According to the police, “the 999 system has been restored following an earlier widespread technical fault.”
‘Anyone requiring the police in an emergency in London should call 999 as usual.
‘If your call is not an emergency, please dial 101.’
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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.’
A government spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of a technical issue with the 999 call system today. A full investigation is underway to resolve this as quickly as possible.
‘BT’s back-up system for emergency calls is running and members of the public with genuine emergencies should continue to call 999 or 112 in the normal way.
‘You should be able to connect when calling 999 or 112, but if you still have difficulties connecting you may contact 101 for police and fire and rescue services, or 111 for health.’
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.
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.’