UK activates crisis team in response to global IT outage

The British government activated its civil contingencies committee on Friday to address a global IT outage affecting its transport and health services.

Cabinet secretary Pat McFadden said that ministers in the impacted sectors were collaborating with business leaders. He mentioned being "in close contact with teams coordinating our response through the COBR response system."

COBR, also known as COBRA, is convened to manage national emergencies or significant disruptions, facilitating decision-making across government departments.

Govia Thameslink Railway, the UK's largest rail franchise, reported "widespread IT issues" on its four rail networks serving London, east England, south England, and London Gatwick Airport.

"We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations," it posted on X, noting that customer information platforms were also affected.

South Western Railway reported that while its trains were running well, "some retail systems and ticket machines at stations are down."

Low-cost airline Ryanair acknowledged facing disruption due to the "global third-party IT outage."

Airports including London Luton, Belfast, and Edinburgh warned passengers of longer waiting times due to the glitch, which appeared to be caused by an update to an antivirus programme.

Transport for Ireland, overseeing public transport including buses and rail services, reported that its apps were down.

A London Heathrow airport spokesperson noted that while the outage was "impacting select systems," flights remained operational.

General practitioners (GPs) across Britain experienced issues accessing patient records or booking appointments.

A National Health Service (NHS) spokesperson confirmed a problem with its appointment and patient record service, causing disruption in most GP services. The NHS added that there was no known impact on emergency services.

The National Pharmacy Association reported that some community pharmacies were affected by the outage, impacting prescription access from GPs and medicine deliveries.

(With inputs from AFP)