Government websites crash after broken air conditioning causes servers to overheat

An air conditioning failure in a government server room has taken many States of Guernsey IT systems offline. Credit: PA

Several vital websites and electronic systems run by the States of Guernsey have been taken offline after a faulty air conditioning unit led to a server room overheating.

In a post on its social media pages, the island's government confirmed the cause of the issue which led to vital services crashing.

The disruption even affected some people who receive benefit payments, and led to a long-awaited debate on whether to extend Alderney Airport's runway being postponed after politicians were unable to access important documents.

Politicians could not access the electronic voting system as there was no internet in the States Chamber.

The internet connection to the States Chamber was also offline, meaning Deputies were unable to use the recently-installed electronic voting system and had to call out their votes for them to be recorded.

During Friday's sitting, some politicians said they were having to rely on what they remembered from the papers they had previously read over recent weeks.

The government said anyone who receives Income Support who is now facing "financial hardship" because of the expected delays to their payments should contact the department on 01481 221000.

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