Phones lines are back up-and-running at Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) after a lengthy outage.

The authority first told residents it was experiencing issues with receiving incoming calls from people trying to use their services at 10.20 am on Monday (August 19).

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Lines became active and operational again more than 24 hours later when BFC suggested lines were back up around midday on Tuesday (August 20).

Bracknell News:

During the outage, one concerned resident told the News of his worries for service-users trying to reach the authority’s teams.

The resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “The phones are an important part of Bracknell Forest Council’s services.

“It seems rather ridiculous that we can’t get in contact.

“I’m just thinking about all the vulnerable people who can’t get in touch.

“This can’t happen again.”

The News understands the phone lines went down due to an equipment failure within the council’s phones systems.

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According to BFC bosses, replacement equipment was “ordered immediately” while staff worked to find a temporary fix.

Employees at the council will install the new equipment when it is expected to arrive tomorrow (August 21).

Bobby Mulheir, Assistant Director: Customer Experience at BFC, said: “We thank you for your understanding and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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