A warning was issued following the loss of the 999 phone service in part of the Orkney Islands due to a fault.

Residents in North Ronaldsay were asked to avoid making any non-urgent calls so as available phone lines could be freed up for emergencies. They were also advised to check on elderly or vulnerable people in the area.

Police issued a statement during the early hours of Wednesday morning and confirmed that BT was working to restore the service.

They said: "BT has notified us of problems affecting telephone services in North Ronaldsay.

"They are currently working to restore service to everyone as soon as possible. We are asking people not to make any non-urgent calls for the time being so that all the available phone lines can be used for emergencies.

"If you have an emergency, you should first try both landline or mobile telephones to call 999.

"If this does not work, flag down any emergency service vehicle that is not using their blue lights, or go to the nearest police station, hospital, fire or ambulance station to report the emergency.

"Relatives and neighbours of elderly or vulnerable people in the area are asked to check on them more frequently, as their assistance alarms may not operate correctly.

"We will give you an update on the situation as soon as we have more information."

A BT spokesman told STV News that service was restored by 10.45am following a helicopter visit to replace hardware.

He said: "All phone and broadband services, including the ability to call 999 from landlines, are now fully restored."