Thousands of BT landlines were affected by a power cut this morning (Wednesday 9 May).
Homes and businesses in Brighton were affected by the power cut at the telephone exchange in Eastbourne which happened at about 9am.
The power supply was restored at about 1pm with BT saying that most phones were back in action by about 4pm.
Sussex Police said: “There was disruption to receiving 999 calls for some emergency services for a short time before contingencies plans were activated.
“Those people directly affected would not have been able to make or receive calls.”
Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones said that the number of calls received by the force fell about a third for two hours compared with last week. The weather could have been a factor, he said.