NON-EMERGENCY phone lines to police and ambulance services are now working again.

The 101 and 111 numbers had been down today after a national telecommunications fault.

Calls to 999 however were not affected by the issue.

West Mercia Police tweeted at 2pm: “The non-emergency number 101 is now working. If it is an emergency still dial 999.”

NHS England similarly tweeted just after 2pm: “NHS 111 is now working normally. A previous technical issue has been resolved. The public should use the service as normal.”

During the technical problems, a spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “This problem, which arose this morning, is beyond our control.

“Our health advisers and clinicians are in the call centre to answer any calls that can get through.

“If your call is unable to be connected to us, please try using a walk-in centre, minor injury unit or urgent care centre for advice or assistance if available, or alternatively visit your local pharmacy.”

It has been widely reported in the media that the phone lines were shut down by a major fault with Vodafone’s systems.

Engineers worked to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

The company has apologised for any inconvenience caused and is closely monitoring the service.