BT down as thousands of users say they are locked out with broadband issues

Several BT customers have announced they are suffering broadband issues and are unable to access other online applications.

On the Downdetector website, where Brits can report issues with their network and broadband providers, there has been a sharp spike in issues with BT. The majority of users reported issues with their email services, while a smaller percentage described problems with broadband connectivity. Starting after 12pm, reports of problems accessing the internet have been growing rapidly.

According to reports, customers attempting to access the BT email website are greeted with the following message: "This site can't be reached. Check if there is a typo in email.bt.com. If spelling is correct, try running windows network diagnostics."

This is not the first time the broadband provider has experienced issues. Earlier this month, over 5,000 customers were affected with a similar issue, with many unable to access the internet.

One wrote on X: "BT have you got issues again with email - getting same error as a few days ago?" Another added: "Email servers down again. When will this be fixed?"

On Downdetector, it is reported that 78% of users are struggling with issues related to their email servers, while 21% are suffering with their broadband. Only 1% of reporters have mentioned their landlines being an issue.

As of yet, BT have provided no official statement that they are working or aware of the issue.

This is similar to another broadband provider, Virgin Media, experiencing a supposed "blackout" yesterday, February 24. At the time, several Virgin Media customers reported a nation-wide blackout on all of their services – with the media service said to have shut down.

Based on a graph which showed outages across the country, DownDetector, the volume of user reports started rising around 10.25AM. Following this, several users took to social media to share outrage and confusion after they were left unable to use services online. "Trying to work is impossible," wrote one X user after reports started flooding in. Another added: "WiFi works on my phone but not my laptop. VM Connect app doesn't work and neither does the online service status page."

A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “We’re aware that some customers are experiencing intermittent issues with their services. We apologise for any inconvenience and are working to fix this as a priority.”

Since then, the issue was dealt with promptly by officials, which ensured all customers were back up and running.