Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are advising Chester and Mollington residents to dial 999 from a mobile in the event of an emergency this morning (Wednesday, January 14) due to a problem with BT phone lines.
01244 dialling codes have been affected since 5.34am but BT estimate normal service will resume from noon today.
A spokesman for BT said: "We're really sorry but we've got a problem at the moment in the Chester area, which means that some of our customers will be having trouble with their telephone line. We're trying to fix the problem as quickly as we can."
A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service added: "We have been told that there may be a problem with phone lines in the Chester and Mollington area this morning.
"But it is only the landlines that would be affected.
"For 999 calls please use a mobile."
Villagers from Ashton Hayes were without phone lines and broadband connection on more than one occasion last year. They were reconnected just before Christmas having experienced problems during the summer and from November onwards.
The Countess of Chester Hospital is experiencing difficulties receiving incoming calls this morning.
People needing to contact the hospital urgently are asked to use its online enquiry form www.coch.nhs.uk/contact-us.
