Major outage leaves Shetland Isles without internet and phone access

A major outage on the Shetland Isles has left phones, internet and computers “not usable”, police have said.

Officers revealed on Thursday morning that the island suffered a “complete outage” which has affected its connection to the main line.

This has left residents unable to use phones, internet, and computers.

Police confirmed that engineers are working on the issue and will provide more information when possible.

Engineers are working to fix a complete outage on Shetland affecting its connection to the main line.

Phones, internet and computers are not usable.

Officers will continue to patrol the area and we will give you an update on the situation as soon as we have more information. pic.twitter.com/0wFYrHnmiE
— Northern Police (@northernPolice) October 20, 2022

A spokesperson said: “Engineers are working to fix a complete outage on Shetland affecting its connection to the main line.

“Phones, internet, and computers are not usable.

“Officers will continue to patrol the area and we will give you an update on the situation as soon as we have more information.”

Openreach have been contacted for comment.

It comes after a recent warning from Shetland Council suggested that a combination of older, lower-quality housing, rising energy bills and the extreme cold would leave 96% of households on the island in fuel poverty.

The island has a population of just under 23,000.