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In a message sent to ISPs, it said that the "exceptionally severe weather" in some parts of the country - namely Leeds, Bradford, Lincoln, Sheffield, Barnsley and York - has caused widespread damage and is hampering repair efforts.

"Flooding is causing network damage, leading to very high fault volumes," the message reads. "At the same time our engineers are faced with road closures and other problems getting around their work areas. This means it is taking longer than usual to fix each fault."

BT added that other locations may be subject to warnings as a fuller picture of the effects of flooding on its operations and network emerges, particularly following fresh rainfalls over the weekend.

BT has declared the situation as a "matter beyond our reasonable control [MBORC]", which means that any contractual commitments are suspended. It expects this period to last at least a week from 27 June.

"Any legally binding dates (for service provision for example) or timescales (such as repair timescales under SLGs for instance) will be suspended until the MBORC event or cause stops affecting BT," it explains.