AVON and Somerset Police has said that its 101 non-emergency phoneline has been restored after reporting a problem with its 101 service.

In a release on Sunday, October 27, the force said phonelines to its control room had been restored and calls for service were being handled by Avon and Somerset Police staff again.

"We would continue to ask people as much as possible to report any non-urgent matters online at avonandsomerset.police.uk/report as opposed to calling 101 to help us manage demand," a spokesperson said.

"People should continue to call 999 as they normally would - when there is an emergency, a crime is in progress or there is a danger to life.

"We are grateful for the assistance of neighbouring forces this evening to answer 999 calls, as well as the public's patience while we have been seeking a resolution to this issue.

"External and internal phone lines, other than 101 and 999 calls, remain affected and out of action.

"Work to restore them continues."

The force had said that day that it was experiencing an issue with its phone service which was affecting its ability to answer non-emergency calls.

Emergency 999 calls were being taken with the support of neighbouring forces.

“Engineers are working hard to restore our phone lines, and we'll let you know when the 101 service is operational again,” a spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police had said.