SOMERSET Police are dealing with an unexpected issue as phone lines have gone down this evening.

The 101 phone service is currently down due to "unforeseen circumstances" this evening (October 27).

The 101 phone number is the non-emergency number to contact the police in the UK, you can use it to report non-emergencies, such as a stolen car, damaged property, or suspected drug use. You can also call to give information to the police or ask for crime prevention advice. 

With the non-emergency number currently down, people are being asked to only call 999 in case of an emergency whilst engineers try to fix the phone line issue.

In a statement released today (October 27), a spokesperson from the Avon and Somerset Police said: "We're experiencing an issue with our phone service preventing us from answering non-emergency calls.

"Emergency 999 calls are being taken with help from neighbouring forces, but please only call if a genuine emergency.

"Non-urgent matters can be reported at: https://orlo.uk/PS8a0.

"Engineers are working hard to restore our phone lines and we'll let you know when the 101 service is operational again.

"Thank you for your understanding."