The worldwide IT outage, caused by a defect in a content update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, has led to a number of problems across the region.

We're closing the live page now but these were some of the services affected:

• Birmingham Airport said most of its flights were "operating as normal" but some check-in desks were experiencing delays
• Several GP surgeries have been unable to access services like appointment booking and patient records
• Queues formed at Birmingham New Street station due to ticket barrier problems
• Football clubs Coventry City, Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra have been unable to sell tickets
• Businesses and venues have had issues with taking card payments, including Droitwich Spa Lido

A reminder that you can follow live coverage of the disruption across the country here.

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

Image source, Birmingham Airport

Birmingham airport's departure board is showing , externalEurowings flights to Dusseldorf and Prague and a KLM flight to Amsterdam have been cancelled.

In a statement , externalon its website, KLM says there was "limited air traffic" due to the global computer outage and it was working "tirelessly" to restore operations.

All passengers are advised to monitor KLM's website or the app for the latest information regarding their flights.

"This means that customers should expect delays and cancellations," a spokesperson says.

"We urge passengers not to come to the airport if their flight is not departing or is severely delayed."

Image source, LEX VAN LIESHOT

All Birmingham passengers are being advised to monitor flight details on the website., external

The majority of flights were "operating as normal," but some check-in desks were "experiencing delays," an airport spokesperson said earlier.

Not all airlines were impacted by the IT outage.

"The best advice for all is to check the airline or to monitor our arrivals/departures pages on our website as all info, once received, from an airline will be updated there," a spokesperson said.

Almost 1,400 flights have been cancelled around the world and others delayed.

Is your flight delayed? You can find out more in our explainer here.

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

As we reported earlier, their has been issues at the ticket barriers at Birmingham New Street.

Small queues built up this afternoon, with passengers having to show their train tickets to a member of station staff.

The electronic barriers are not currently recognising tickets, another BBC reporter said.

She said only one staff member at the time was checking tickets, so it looked like everyone was queuing to be let through.

Tom Edwards
Reporter, BBC Hereford and Worcester

The Droitwich Spa Lido opened as usual today but has been unable to take card payments.

Luckily, many of those visiting had already booked online or had brought cash with them, although some had to make the trek to nearby cash machines.

Several visitors said they rarely had money on them. Others said it might be a sign for people to start carrying more cash.

One said: “I wondered whether people were having to go and get money out. How many of these families will have brought enough cash to pay for the whole day?

Ministers are working within their sectors to tackle the IT issue, the government said.

Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, said he was in close contact with teams and is coordinating a response through the COBR system.

"Many people are being affected by today's IT outages impacting services across the country and globally," he said in a post on X., external

"Ministers are working with their sectors and respective industries on the issue."

An emergency Cobra meeting was held this morning to discuss the chaos, Downing Street said.

COBR or Cobra is shorthand for the Civil Contingencies Committee that is convened to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption.

Tom Edwards
Reporter, BBC Hereford and Worcester

It appears many of the tech issues affecting people are starting to right themselves.

Waitrose was one of the supermarkets affected with the store in Droitwich, Worcestershire, among those reporting problems with its card payment system.

People were having to use chip and pin instead of contactless but the issue has since been resolved.

Some of the card transactions are slower than usual but the store is now operating as normal.

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) confirmed its computer systems were not currently impacted by the outage and it is continuing to "operate normally".

“We are aware that other NHS organisations and systems may be affected," a spokesperson says.

"This could potentially lead to increased demand on the ambulance service, on a day where call numbers are already expected to be high due to the hot weather," they added.

“Please remember to use 999 wisely and only for life-threatening emergencies. For non-emergencies, please dial 111.”

Temperatures , externalare expected to reach a maximum of 29 degrees across parts of the West Midlands today.

Elsewhere, West Midlands Fire Service says the outage has affected some of its internal systems, but its ability to respond to incidents remains unaffected., external

Katy Austin
Transport correspondent

Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operating companies, says staff are working hard to resolve issues as soon as possible.

“Train operators have been affected by ongoing global IT issues which may result in some short notice service changes and cancellations, also impacting real-time information screens and services at stations," a spokesperson said.

“Most trains are still running across the country, and rail staff will be able to provide the latest information to customers in person.

"You can also visit the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest updates."

Alex McIntyre
BBC News, West Midlands

If you were hoping to renew your season ticket today you may be out of luck.

Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra football clubs have said they are unable to sell tickets either online or in person.

This is because of the global outage affecting Ticketmaster, both teams said in statements posted on X.

The clubs said fans would be updated once the systems were back up and running.

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

Chiltern Railways confirmed it is not impacted by the IT issue.

The train operator runs direct services from Birmingham Snow Hill and Moor Street to London Marylebone, with stops also in Leamington Spa and Warwick.

Stuart George
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

The global IT issues are "totally unacceptable," a digital expert has said.

GP appointments, payment systems and ticketing barriers have all been affected by the mass IT outage, although Microsoft has recently said the "underlying cause" has been fixed.

"The global impact of this is so far reaching. It's like contagion, it spread like a domino effect," Dr Jonathan Westlake from the School of Digital, Technology, Innovation and Business at Staffordshire University, told the BBC.

He believed it will trigger reviews at a government level.

"There’ll be an outcry, it's gone beyond the commercial firms," he said.

"This is really about resilience, about systems for economies, travel, and health."

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

Image source, GETTY/NATALIA GDOVSKAIA

Several GP surgeries are reporting issues with booking appointments and accessing patient records.

Solihull Healthcare Partnership (SHP) says it is having "technical issues" accessing EMIS Web, the clinical computer system.

The issue is affecting its ability to book appointments, consult patients and answer calls efficiently.

"We have been made aware that this is a national issue and is being investigated as high priority," a spokesperson said on its website., external

In a recent update, SHP advised patients who have a routine, pre-booked appointment scheduled for today to attend as planned., external

Chloe Hughes
BBC News

It's the perfect day for an open air swim but you will need to bring cash.

In a post on Facebook, Droitwich Spa Lido has said it is open as usual, but taking cash payments only, due to the IT outage affecting its card machines.

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

Coventry City FC says it is currently unable to process any ticket sales though the ticket office or website.

In a post on X,, external the club apologised for any inconvenience and says it will update supporters in due course.

Image source, Rex Features

"We're aware that this affects the Werder Bremen Season Ticket holder seat deadline," a spokesperson says.

"This will be extended, but we can't provide further details until the outage is resolved."

Chloe Hughes
BBC News

Some GP practices are operating a "very limited service" and clients are asked to be patient.

"It’s very difficult to operate safely, we need to have your details in front of us; your history, medications, and these are all online," Dr Jess Harvey of Much Wenlock and Cressage Practice said.

"We’ve got really really limited access to everything."

Patients should contact their GPs for urgent issues, but otherwise advised that people book non-urgent appointments next week, or visit their local pharmacy.

"At some point, our systems are going to come online and were going to be trying to play catch up with a lot of work," she added.

"I want everyone to practice safe medicine which involves having the time to process each request in the time that it deserves."

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

A number of passengers have reported issues with ticket barriers at Birmingham New Street.

Staff told one BBC reporter none of the barriers are registering tickets at the moment.

The issue is thought to affect digital or scanned tickets with QR codes.

The barriers are also reportedly out-of-action at Coventry railway station, with staff having to manually open the gates and check tickets.

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

West Midlands Railway says its trains services are "not currently affected" by the issue but customers are advised to check their journeys before travelling.

"Due to an ongoing IT issue, some back office systems are temporarily unavailable," it said in a post on X earlier., external

Chloe Hughes
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

GP surgeries in Herefordshire have no access to medical records but are still taking urgent calls.

Taurus Healthcare, the GP Federation which includes all 19 Herefordshire practices, says the computer system it uses for medical records is not working.

"Although they don't have access to your full medical records, you can still be seen at your practice, and they can still provide care for you if you need that," said GP Lauren Parry.

"If you have an appointment already, check your practice website, but otherwise attend as usual. If you have an urgent need for today, please call as usual.

"If you're looking to book a future appointment, avoid doing that today."

Taurus Healthcare said it would update patients on the situation via social media.

Chloe Hughes
BBC News

Crowdstrike says global IT issues were caused by a 'defect' in a 'content update'.

The cybersecurity company was founded in 2011 with the aim of safeguarding the world’s biggest companies and hardware from cyber threats and vulnerabilities.

Its CEO, George Kurtz, has released a statement:

"Crowdstrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.

"Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack.

"The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed."

Shehnaz Khan
BBC News, West Midlands

Some passengers had reported check-in issues at Birmingham Airport.

Birmingham Airport says the majority of flights are "operating as normal" but some check-ins are "experiencing delays" which are being processed by colleagues.

Image source, Getty Images

Passengers who have checked in online previously are unaffected.

“This is clearly a rapidly evolving situation. Customers should follow the advice from airlines and we will continue to update passengers throughout the day," an airport spokesperson says.