BBC Breakfast halted as Charlie Stayt announces ‘breaking news’ at end of show

BBC Breakfast was halted on Friday morning as Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty announced some “breaking news” about a number of high street banks

BBC Breakfast viewers were met with an unexpected interruption on Friday (February 28) as presenter Charlie Stayt delivered some “breaking news”.

As the show neared its conclusion, Charlie disclosed that several high street banks, including Nationwide and First Direct, were experiencing difficulties with their online banking services.

“Just wanting to bring you news of a story that we’re just hearing about. Nationwide and First Direct are saying that some customers may be facing problems with online banking,” he said.

Co-host Naga Munchetty chimed in, highlighting the impact on individuals: “Now, it is affecting some incoming and outgoing payments, leaving many without access to funds on pay day at the end of the month,” before passing the baton to correspondent Ben Boulos.

Ben elaborated on the situation, noting the timing’s significance: “[It’s the] last Friday of the month, a lot of people will be wanting to check, wanting to access their money to pay bills and so on. What we’re hearing, this news breaking in the last few minutes, is that Nationwide, First Direct, Lloyds and Halifax all confirming issues with their online banking systems,” reports the Express.

BBC Breakfast host Charlie Stayt announced breaking news on Friday (February 28) ( 
Image:
(Image: BBC))
He continued by addressing the recurring nature of these disruptions: “This is the second month in a row that major banks have been hit with some sort of IT issues around pay day. The experts are saying that often these systems struggle with the sheer demand on them, the transactions, the number of people trying to log in… Wages going in, bills going out, that sort of thing.”

Ben took a moment to provide reassurance to viewers who might be facing difficulties with their banking apps, stating: “So, if people are, this morning, struggling to log in to any of those banking apps, they’re not alone. It’s not an issue with their own phone or their computer, this is a system with the bank apps themselves.”

He went on to stress the lack of clarity regarding the cause: “There’s no indication about what’s behind this, but obviously people will be concerned.”

He added a helpful tip for those seeking the latest updates: “It’s worth saying, keep an eye on the BBC News Channel, keep an eye on the app and our website. That story will be followed throughout the day with any updates that people need, they can find them there.”

Several banks have confirmed issues with their online banking systems ( 
Image:
(Image: BBC))
According to Downdetector, a platform outage monitor, reports of technical difficulties shot up to over 4,000 for the Lloyds Bank app on Friday morning. Additionally, Halifax customers lodged 3,600 complaints, while TSB and Bank of Scotland users reported 900 and 600 issues, respectively.

Following a mobile banking outage at Barclays in January, which left UK customers unable to carry out transactions around pay day, the recent technical snags add to growing concerns.

In response, the Treasury Committee has approached the heads of nine banks, requesting details on the extent and impact of such IT disruptions on consumers.