ST HELENS Council is working with the National Cyber Security Centre and police as it continues to deal with a cyber incident.

Hackers hit the council's systems on Monday and the local authority has now been affected by the cyber attack for five days.

This evening the council said it is "continuing to deal with a cyber incident affecting the council’s IT systems and networks".

National Crime Agency Support

The council is receiving support from a number of external agencies, including the police, the National Crime Agency and the Government.

It is still working to "fully understand the impact of the cyber incident".

Town Hall bosses have not released any details of what data may be affected, though it is understood measures that have been put in place have led to disruption for some council staff.

There has been an impact on some services, though the council did not specify which ones.

Given the delicacy of the situation, the council has been remaining guarded about what information is released to the Star.

What the council has said

In a statement, the council said: "We have been working with national agencies such as the National Cyber Security Centre, National Crime Agency, Merseyside Police, LGA, Solace and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who have been supporting the work of our IT teams and cyber security contractors to investigate and protect our network.

"As part of this we have completed protective and preventative measures to protect services.

"This has impacted on how some of our services are being delivered, but we are working hard to adapt to the situation and work around these issues to limit the disruption experienced by our residents.

“The council’s website is available, however access to some services on it will be disrupted over the weekend.

"Thank you for your support and understanding while we adapt to the challenges this situation brings.

“While we work through this ongoing situation, we would recommend that residents are mindful of how to keep themselves safe online and be alert to any communications they may receive from the council.

"You can find out more about keeping safe online here www.sthelens.gov.uk/watchoutforscams.

“We’re still working to understand more on the impact of this attack, and when we have further information, we will share it with residents.

“Please be assured we are doing all we can to better understand the issues, protect our systems and continue to provide council services.”

A National Cyber Security Centre (NCS) spokesperson added: “We are working with St Helens Borough Council to fully understand the impact of a cyber incident.”