'I've had no email for over a week' – Virgin Media users locked out of accounts

The company says that server connection issues following the upgrade mean that some customers who use an email programme, such as Outlook, to access their Virgin Media email account are having problems, and it's still working to resolve them.

The issue affects those with Virgin Media email addresses and has also caused people with older domains like @blueyonder.co.uk, @ntlworld.com and @virgin.net problems as well.

'The general lack of help is terrible'

In the past week or so, dozens of Virgin Media customers have complained on social media about the issues, with some saying they've been unable to access important banking emails and other vital documents.

One customer, Sharon Stearn, who has a Blueyonder email address, told us: "The issue started on Friday. My husband has cancer and a lot of comms from consultants come through email, so that's worrying.

"My banking communications also come through email, so I have to log into my account each day to check. The general lack of help is terrible."

Here's what other customers have been saying:

I'm affected – what can I do?

In layman's terms, the problem appears to be caused by connection issues when using an email client – a type of programme used to access an email account – such as Microsoft Outlook, Mailbox and iOS Mail.

Virgin Media won't say exactly how many customers are affected, but stresses that it's a small percentage of users.

At the moment, it is advising customers who are having problems to try using webmail – email access directly on the web. It also says if customers are still having problems, they can try changing their passwords and trying again with their updated details.

Some users have said the above solutions don't work for them, and Virgin Media says it is continuing to investigate more solutions.

What does Virgin Media say?

A Virgin Media spokesperson said: "Following essential upgrade work some customers are having issues accessing their email. We apologise for any inconvenience and we are working quickly to resolve the issue."