Google resolves UK cloud outage affecting banks and websites
Google Cloud resolved a UK cloud disruption in the europe-west2 region on 20 October 2026, which impacted banks, businesses, and online platforms.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Google Cloud fixed a major service disruption in its London europe-west2 region.
- Major UK banks including Revolut, Lloyds Bank, and HSBC faced widespread issues.
- The outage was triggered by a power event inside a data centre zone.
- Google confirmed that all affected cloud services have now been fully restored.
Google Cloud's infrastructure in the United Kingdom experienced significant disruptions on the morning of Tuesday, 20 October 2026, impacting banking services, retail websites, and government platforms. The tech giant issued an apology and confirmed that normal operations have been fully resumed following a power-related incident at its data facility.
The disruption began early Tuesday morning, with users across the country reporting elevated error rates and network failures. The issues were isolated to Google's europe-west2 region in London, specifically originating from a power event within the smaller data centre zone designated as europe-west2-b.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Financial institutions bore the brunt of the technical failure, leaving customers unable to access funds abroad or complete property purchases. Rachael Ellen, a 25-year-old Revolut customer from Glasgow, told BBC News that she was temporarily locked out of her accounts. Outage monitors recorded more than 1,500 reports regarding Revolut services shortly after 08:00 BST on Tuesday.
Customers utilizing online banking services via Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland also encountered difficulties. Other notable platforms impacted included Royal Mail, DPD, forest e-bikes, and the HM Courts and Tribunals Service remote hearing video platform, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of regional cloud failures.
"This left me in a difficult situation as I had no way to access the money I needed at the time."
Rachael Ellen
This incident highlights the systemic reliance modern enterprises place on a handful of mega-cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. When a localized hardware or power failure strikes a core region, the cascading effects can paralyze critical services ranging from digital banking to local commerce within minutes.
Revolut representatives later confirmed that all services had been fully restored, reassuring customers that their funds and data remained secure throughout the disruption. Meanwhile, business owners like Baybutt in Preston noted that the inability to process online orders during the outage resulted in frustrating sales losses for smaller enterprises.
The outage occurred exactly one year after a major AWS cloud disruption knocked over 1,000 websites offline in the UK. Industry experts emphasize that while large cloud systems are inherently complex, robust contingency planning and reliable failover options remain crucial for businesses relying on centralized tech infrastructure.
Source: BBC Business
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