People on Shetland lose internet access due to power problems
- Published
Shetland is made up of about 100 islands
People living on Shetland have been left without phone and internet connection after a cable which sits below the surface of the sea and connects homes to the mainland was damaged.
It's not yet known what caused the damage, and lots of residents aren't able to use their phones or computers at the moment.
Businesses have also been affected, with reports that many shops aren't currently able to take card payments.
Experts say they are trying to get them back online as quickly as possible.
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The police, who have described this as a major incident, have asked people on the islands to avoid making calls unless their urgent.
Police Scotland also said it was working with partners including the Scottish Fire and Recue Service and HM Coastguard to bring additional emergency support to the island.
"We're still trying to work to establish the full extent of the problem - we know there are some telephone lines working, 999 lines are believed to be working and some mobile networks are still working," said Chief Inspector Jane Mackenzie.
Shetland, which is also often referred to as the Shetland Islands, is made up of about 100 small islands.
These islands, which are part of Scotland, can also be described as an archipelago.
Despite Shetland being made up of so many islands, less than 20 have people living on them. The largest is known as The Mainland.
The telecommunications company BT also said their engineers are working on the issue.
"Due to a break in a third-party subsea cable connecting Shetland with the Scottish mainland, some phone, broadband and mobile services are affected," said a A BT Group spokesperson.
"Engineers are working to divert services via other routes as soon as possible and we'll provide further updates. Our external subsea provider is also looking to restore their link quickly."
The most recent incident follows repairs to another cable connecting Shetland and Faroe which was damaged last week.
How do subsea cables work?
Subsea or submarine cables use fibre optic technology
Subsea or submarine cables are cables laid on the seabed or ocean floor.
They use fibre optic technology, which transmits information, or data, as light pulses quickly from once place to another.
The cables are typically as wide as a garden hose, according to telecoms market research firm TeleGeography.
The company says lasers on one end of the cable fire at extremely rapid rates down thin glass fibres to receptors at the other end. These glass fibres are wrapped in layers of plastic, and sometimes steel wire, for protection.
TeleGeography said "considerable care" is taken to make sure cables avoid dangers like fishing zones and anchoring areas.
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