Islands lose phone and mobile service as cable damaged

THOUSANDS of islanders have been hit by disruption to their internet and phone services after a sub-sea cable was damaged.

- By Mike Merritt

It is the second time in just three years that the connection has been severed.

The issue has affected people living on both Orkney and Shetland.

Shetland Telecom said the Shefa-2 cable between Orkney and Banff sustained damage at about 3am on Saturday.

Mobile

Among the customers affected was the switchboard at Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall which led to patients and relatives being asked to call a mobile number instead.

However, it is understood that there has not been any impact on the 999 emergency phone services.

A timescale for repairs to the current problem will depend on a number of conditions including wind strength and direction.