BT victim of £2 million network exchange theft

Thousands of homes and businesses in London were left without internet after a BT exchange in Mayfair was broken into and 2 million worth of telecoms equipment stolen.

According to reports, high value equipment such as servers, routers and network cards were ripped out. The theft is being investigated by police.

BT confirmed that there was a break-in on Wednesday night and that almost all services had now been restored by BT engineers working around the clock. Work was still being done to restore individual problems.

A spokesperson said in a statement: "BT apologises for any disruption this incident caused to our customers. The police are investigating the crime and we are in this investigation."

Reports also indicated that thieves could have used Guy Ritchie's 40th birthday party next door, where he was partying with his wife Madonna, as a distraction.