Thousands of O2 mobile customers hit by 16-hour network outage

Thousands of O2 customers were left without a mobile signal for more than 16 hours after thieves stole equipment from a network facility in east London.

Customers in north and east London and parts of Kent and East Sussex were affected by the outage which affected calls, texts and data services. O2 said that theft and vandalism at the facility had been a "well-organised theft".

The outage was first reported shortly after midnight on Monday; O2 said a full service had been restored by 5:30pm on Monday evening.

Disgruntled customers turned to social-networking website Twitter to voice their discontent, with some asking O2 if they would receive compensation due to the lack of service.

On its blog, O2 said that mobile networks "are not completely fault-free" and that "as a rule" the company does not offer compensation.