Special Numbers
Short codes for special services
Special short phone numbers are available for several services in the UK, from operator assistance to police and healthcare services.
Unless otherwise stated, these numbers work throughout England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Police, healthcare and emergencies
| 101 | Police enquiries 15p per call | Report crime and minor traffic incidents that do not require an emergency response, or make a general enquiry. |
| 105 | Power cuts and emergencies Free to call | Dedicated helpline for reporting power cuts or electricity network emergencies. Not Northern Ireland. |
| 111 | NHS urgent care advice Free to call | Medical help and advice in situations that are urgent but not life-threatening. Not Northern Ireland. |
| 112 | Emergency Services Free to call | Police, fire, ambulance and coastguard. For life-threatening situations, fires, crimes in progress and other major incidents. 112 also works throughout the EU. |
| 999 | Emergency Services Free to call | Police, fire, ambulance and coastguard. For life-threatening situations, fires, crimes in progress and other major incidents. 999 and 112 calls are handled identically within the UK. |
Helplines
| 116000 | Missing People Free to call | Help and assistance when somebody goes missing or runs away. |
| 116111 | Childline Free to call | Free and confidential counselling and help for children up to age 19. |
| 116123 | Samaritans Free to call | National emotional support and listening service. |
The type of service provided on numbers starting 116 is determined by the EU, with the individual service providers selected by national governments. The long-term intention is that equivalent national services will be available throughout the EU - for example, it will be possible to report a missing child by dialling 116000 anywhere in Europe.
Telephone services and call management
| 100 | Operator Charges vary | For assistance when making a call or when having difficulty reaching a number within the UK, or requesting a reverse-charge call or alarm call. |
| 118xxx | Directory Enquiries Charges vary | Over 400 different directory enquiry services are available on numbers beginning with 118. |
| 123 | Speaking Clock Charges vary | Announces the current exact time. Not all operators. |
| 141 | Withold outgoing number Free to call | Dial 141 before a phone number to prevent your number appearing on their caller display or on the 1471 Call Return service. |
| 1470 | Reveal outgoing number Free to call | For customers who have opted to permanently withold their number on outbound calls, dial 1470 before a phone number to reveal your number on a one-off basis. |
| 1471 | Call Return Free to call | Announces the phone number and time of the last received call. Landlines only. |
| 1475 | Call Return erase Free to call | Deletes the most recent call details given in 1471. Selected landline companies only. |
| 150 | Customer Services Charges vary | Main customer contact number for most landline and mobile operators, for enquiries about charging, services provided and similar. |
| 155 | International Operator Charges vary | For assistance when making a call or when having difficulty reaching a number outside the UK. |
| 1571 | Landline voicemail Charges vary | Check and retrieve voicemail messages on your landline (if this service is activated). Landlines only. |
Services for disabled users
Special access codes can be used to access specialised assistance and the text-to-speech services used by people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
| 18000 | Emergency Services | Text relay access to police, fire, ambulance and coastguard. For life-threatening situations, fires, crimes in progress and other major incidents. |
| 18001 | Make a text relay call | Text relay users may prefix any normal phone number with 18001 if they wish to make a call using text relay. If the person being called does not also have a textphone, an intermediary will convert spoken messages to text and vice versa. |
| 18002 | Call a text relay user | Users without a textphone can access an intermediary to convert spoken messages to text and vice versa by prefixing the textphone user's number with 18002. |
| 195 | Directory enquiries for blind / disabled users | Blind, partially-sighted or otherwise disabled users who are unable to use a phone book can access a free directory enquiries service. |
| 198 | Special assistance operator | Access to the '100' Operator service for disabled customers. |
Developments to the text relay service mean that the 18001 and 18002 codes do not always need to be used - the systems in use may now automatically route the call to intermediaries where necessary.
Proposed new telephone numbers
The EU has designated 116006 for national crime victim support helplines, along with 116117 for on-call medical services. Ofcom has consulted on these numbers but not yet been able to assign them to any service.
