Google to investigate cloud outage after UK businesses hit by disruption

Google’s Europe-west2 cloud region, believed to be its London infrastructure, suffered a major outage after what the company called a “power event”. The failure disrupted several cloud services, creating errors and intermittent network failures. This mattered because many organisations depend on that region for essential digital operations.

The London region was the only Google Cloud area reported to experience disruption. Its problems spread to customer systems, including banking apps, payments, transfers, cash withdrawals, account access and court video-links. Revolut said multiple services were down or partly unavailable, while HM Courts & Tribunals Service temporarily experienced issues with secure video-links.

Google said most services were restored by 3pm, with only a very small number of customers still affected. The company promised to publish an analysis after completing an internal investigation. The incident shows how a fault in one important infrastructure location can affect many unrelated services at once.

In general, cloud computing means using computing power, data storage and software supplied through remote data centres. Organisations access these resources over networks rather than keeping every system on their own premises. The article describes Google Cloud as infrastructure supporting computing, data management and everyday services for businesses.

Businesses use cloud services because they can support important systems without operating all the underlying infrastructure themselves. A bank might rely on them for apps, payments and account access. A court service might use them for secure video-links. Budgeting app Emma used Google Cloud, and its customers were told the app had gone down after the London power outage.

Cloud computing can make many services available through shared infrastructure, but it also creates dependency. When Google’s London region failed, unrelated organisations experienced problems at the same time. Google said most services were back by 3pm, while promising an investigation into what happened.

The outage was widespread across services that depended on Google Cloud’s London infrastructure. It affected banks, courts and technology platforms, showing how one cloud incident can move through many parts of everyday life. Google said the problems were largely resolved by 3pm, although a very small number of customers were still affected.

Revolut reported issues with card payments, transfers, cash withdrawals and signing into accounts. More than 1,500 people reported Revolut problems on Downdetector. HM Courts & Tribunals Service experienced temporary problems with its secure court video platform. Users also reported issues involving Lloyds Bank, HSBC, Royal Mail, DPD and Rightmove.

The disruption also affected Halifax’s app and online services, while budgeting app Emma went down. The article does not give one total number of affected businesses or customers. It does show a broad range of services, from banking and courts to deliveries, property searches and personal finance.

A cloud outage can make essential digital services unavailable or unreliable. For banks, that may prevent customers from paying by card, transferring money, withdrawing cash or signing into accounts. For courts, it can interrupt secure video-links used during hearings. The effects can therefore reach both routine transactions and formal legal proceedings.

Revolut said its card payments, transfers, cash withdrawals and account access were down or partly unavailable. HM Courts & Tribunals Service temporarily had problems with its cloud video platform. A judge in the Russell Brand trial said there had been problems with Google, although the platform later returned. Emma also warned that some balances might take time to refresh.

Customers can face missed payments, blocked purchases and uncertainty about account information. Sam Richardson of Which? Money said outages could prevent essential purchases or bill payments. Revolut and Emma both said customers’ money and data were safe. The article recommends backups such as another bank card and emergency cash.

Companies such as Revolut, Lloyds, HMCTS and Emma were affected because their digital services relied on Google Cloud infrastructure in London. Google said a power event hit its Europe-west2 region, causing errors and intermittent network failures. The article identifies London as the only Google Cloud area affected.

The shared infrastructure acted as a common dependency. Revolut’s banking systems became unavailable or partly unavailable. HMCTS’s cloud video platform had problems. Emma told customers that it had gone down because of the Google Cloud outage. Users also reported issues with Lloyds and Halifax, which is owned by Lloyds Banking Group.

The companies were not necessarily experiencing the same technical failure inside their own systems. Instead, a problem at the provider supporting their services affected access to those systems. Google said the disruption had been largely resolved by 3pm and promised an internal investigation. The incident illustrates how regional concentration can create a broad knock-on effect.

Businesses can reduce outage risk by avoiding reliance on one provider or one region. In established technology practice, this can mean spreading systems across separate regions, using more than one cloud provider, keeping independent backups and preparing a way to switch services. These measures matter because Google’s London region was the only area affected, yet many organisations felt the consequences.

A bank could keep payment or account services available through another region or provider. A court service could maintain a tested alternative for secure hearings. Backups are useful only if they are current and regularly tested, so organisations know they work during a real failure. The article does not say whether the affected companies used such arrangements.

For customers, Which? Money editor Sam Richardson suggested having a card with a different bank and a small amount of emergency cash. Those steps could help with purchases or bills if the main provider fails. Google’s investigation may provide more information about the cause and future safeguards.

In general, a data centre turns electricity into online services by powering computer hardware, storage systems and network equipment. Software running on those computers processes requests, manages data and sends information through network connections. Businesses can then use the resulting computing, data-management and application services without building every system themselves.

For example, a banking app request may travel through networks to computers that check account information and process a service request. A court video platform similarly depends on computers and connections to support secure video-links. The article does not describe Google’s internal equipment, but it reports that a “power event” caused errors and intermittent network failures in London.

When electricity or connected infrastructure fails, services using that data centre may become slow, unavailable or partly functional. That is why Revolut reported problems with payments and account access, while HMCTS lost temporary access to its video platform. Google said most services were restored by 3pm and will investigate the incident.