Redcar and Cleveland Council's website targeted by 'cyber-attack'

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said no personal data had been lost

Calls have been made for a "serious review" of a Teesside council's IT systems after its website was brought down by what is believed to be a cyber-attack.

Redcar and Cleveland Council's website has been down since Saturday morning.

Independent member Colin Monson described it as a "serious disaster".

The authority said there was "no evidence" any personal data had been lost and added it was investigating the issue.

Mr Monson was speaking at a meeting of the council's Governance Committee, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"I think this history of what has happened over the last couple of days is a clear indication that disaster recovery systems across the authority need a serious review," he said.

"This is a serious disaster, not just a little upset."

'Prioritising urgent matters'

Committee chairwoman Councillor Carole Morgan said the council's IT team had worked over the weekend before further experts were brought in on Tuesday.

A council spokesman said: "We are investigating what appears to be a cyber-attack on the council's IT servers.

"We are currently working to resolve the issues as quickly as possible, alongside the relevant authorities.

"We currently have limited capacity for phone calls and emails and we are prioritising urgent matters."

Cyber attacks are typically launched to access data, functions or other restricted areas of a computer system.

The council's website normally allows members of the public to pay council tax, report problems or view planning and licensing applications.

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