Update: People can once again call 999 in an emergency after services were hit by a nationwide technical fault.
EMERGENCY 999 calls across the UK were not connecting this morning amid technical issues with the phone lines.
People had been urged to call 101 in an emergency for police or dial the control rooms directly for fire services, after problems were reported on Sunday morning.
Several police forces and fire and ambulance services said they were facing issues and said BT had reported a “system failure”.
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:
— Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (@fire_scot) June 25, 2023
📲North: 01382 835804
📲East: 0131 228 1367
📲West: 01505 331661
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service told people not to call 999 if there is a fire, but to dial their control rooms directly.
On Twitter, the service said: “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. North: 01382 835804; East: 0131 228 1367; West: 01505 331661.”
Due to a technical fault many 999 emergency calls are not connecting.
Until further notice, please call 101 in an emergency.
Please ONLY call in an emergency for the time being – wait until later to make 101 non-emergency calls. pic.twitter.com/8d7zNgmsuP
— Police Scotland (@PoliceScotland) June 25, 2023
Police Scotland said: “Due to a technical fault many 999 emergency calls are not connecting.
“Until further notice, please call 101 in an emergency.
“Please only call in an emergency for the time being, wait until later to make 101 non-emergency calls.”
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said issues contacting 999 were “concerning” on Sky News on Sunday morning.
He said: “It is of course concerning. We are, of course, working with Scottish Fire and Rescue and others to see if that situation has been resolved.”
The First Minister added his government will work with partners across the UK. The 999 system is UK-wide.
BT has since said that people can once again call 999, saying it had implemented a back-up platform after issues were reported on Sunday morning.
Emergency services across the country have confirmed they are able to receive 999 calls again, but some warned they were still experiencing residual difficulties.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance has activated the Scottish Government’s resilience arrangements to ensure public safety.
Constance said: “We are aware of a technical issue with the 999 call system today which may be causing some delays. An investigation is underway to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
“BT's back-up system for 999/112 is fully operational and members of the public with genuine emergencies should continue to call 999 or 112 in the normal way.
“If you experience any difficulties connecting with 999 or 112, you should contact 101 for police and fire and rescue services, or 111 for health.
“Further updates will be provided as the situation evolves.
“I have activated the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) to help safeguard the public and we are working closely with the UK Government and the emergency services while the situation is resolved.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here