Google Cloud outage disrupts UK banks, court video links and online services
A power incident at Google Cloud's London data centre caused network faults and sporadic downtime for services that rely on the europe-west2 region. The disruption affected digital‑only bank Revolut, as well as traditional lenders Lloyds Bank and HSBC, which reported reduced access to mobile and web banking. Property portal Rightmove, parcel carriers DPD and Royal Mail, and the video‑conferencing system used by the HM Courts & Tribunals Service also experienced interruptions.
Google said most services were back online by late morning, and it announced an internal investigation and a full incident analysis. The episode has revived discussion about the concentration of critical services on a small number of hyperscale cloud providers.
How this was covered
- Coverage peaked at 12 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
When a single cloud outage hampers banking, court operations and everyday online services, ordinary users can face delayed payments, inaccessible accounts and disrupted communications.
How this story developed
- Oct 20 Google cloud outage disrupts banks, courts and apps across Europe
- Oct 20 Google has pledged to publish a full analysis of the incident.
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