BT clears floodwater at Paddington exchange

BT said thousands of customers may have been without key services

BT has removed the floodwater from its exchange in Paddington, but admitted that customers could still experience problems with some services.

Tens of thousands of customers in the north and west of London were without phone and broadband services yesterday, after the Paddington exchange was hit by flooding and a subsequent fire.

BT said today that, having drained the floodwater, it is now working on getting the exchange fully up and running.

"We are now beginning to restore communications services to customers, and this work will continue throughout the day," the firm said.

However, BT admitted that a number of mobile services are still affected, and that some customers may not be able to make or receive calls, or could experience an intermittent service.

BT also reiterated its warning that calls to the emergency services may have to be made from alternative locations.

"Any customers needing to make calls to the emergency services who have a problem using their phones are advised to do so by using their mobile phone, or a friend's or neighbour's working phone," the company said.

BT will issue updates on its progress when possible, and said that customers can call 0800 1690 199 to get the latest information.