City council’s IT system hit by new virus

Jan 24 2008 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

COMPUTER engineers at Liverpool City Council have spent the last six days battling a virus that infected the authority’s IT system.

Last night a council spokesman apologised to council tax payers if they had not received a prompt response to an inquiry.

It is understood more than 90% of the computer system is now up and running properly again.

The virus first emerged on Thursday, January 17.

A city council spokesman said: “Parts of the council’s IT system were infected by a brand new virus which was so new a fix hadn’t been identified by our anti-virus software manufacturer.

“A team of engineers worked around the clock last week and over the weekend to tackle the problem and prioritise services.

“As a result, our IT network is now almost back to normal.

“We thank customers for their patience and apologise if they have not received a prompt response.”