A guide to phone numbers in the United Kingdom.

How do UK phone numbers work?

All numbers start with 0, which historically, would tell the exchange to dial outside of the local area. On some landlines that don't use VoIP, the numbers after the area code can be dialed on their own to reach a phone in the same area

To dial outside of the UK, 00 is used as an access, although most modern phones will convert + to 00 for you. The UK's international code is +44, and the 0 is omitted when dialing from abroad, so 01632 678 986 would become +44 1632 678 986

UK telephone numbers are regulated by Ofcom, Ofcom's complete UK numbering plan can be found here

This is a list of the types of numbers:

• 01, 02 - these are landline numbers.
• 03 - These are equivalent to landline numbers in cost, but do not represent a specific area, they are non-geographic.
• 05 - These used to be used for Corporate Numbering and VoIP services but were discontinued in June 2017.
• 07 - These are mobile phone numbers. Excluding 070xx for personal numbers which can cost more.
• 080x - Freephone numbers (see below), 084x and 087x - Special rate services
• 09 - Premium rate numbers, these can cost stupid amounts of money to call.

The amount of numbers after the area code can vary a large amount, in the vast majority of areas, a landline number is in the format: 01xxx yyy yyy, however the area code (shown as the letter x) can be 1,2 or 4 digits long as well. There is a complete list of the variation in landline numbers here. For example, a London number could be (020) xxxx xxxx, but a number in Brampton could be (016977) xxxx, as you can see, in some areas the area code is shorter or longer than most people expect.

Mobile numbers are much more consistent all mobile numbers use the format (07xxx) xxxxxx, similar to the most common land line format.

There are also non-geographic numbers, introduced in 2007, these are always charged at the rate you pay for landline calls, and are mainly used by large businesses. These are in the format of (03xx) xxx xxxx

UK Emergency numbers

There are various emergency numbers in the UK, the vast majority of them are 3 digit numbers. Here is a (hopefully comprehensive) list:

• 999 & 112 - 999 is the main emergency number in the UK which can be used to contact the Police, Ambulance service, Fire brigade and the Coastguard in an emergency. 112 is the European emergency number, which will work anywhere in the EU and in some other countries worldwide, it is more likely to work if you are calling while roaming on a UK network on a mobile phone. 911 will also work.
• 111 - This is a service known as NHS 111 that will connect you to a medical professional who will be able to help you obtain medical advice and help you in a non-emergency situation. If there is a medical emergency you should call 999
• 101 - This is a non-emergency number that can be used to contact the local Police force. This number used to cost 15p per call, but should now be free.
• 0800 111 999 - The gas emergency number. If you can smell gas, or suspect a gas leak, you should call this number to report it. The number should also be used if there is a Carbon Monoxide leak. More information: www.nationalgas.com/safety-and-emergencies/emergencies-and-safety-advice
• 105 - Call 105 to report a power cut. This number connects you to your local power network operator. www.powercut105.com/en/
• 159 - This is a new number launched in 2021 designed to connect you to your bank safely and securely if you are worried being scammed “If you think someone is trying to trick you into handing over money or personal details - stop, hang up and call 159 to speak directly to your bank” - stopscamsuk.org.uk/159/

This guide was a lot easier to produce thanks to this map, thanks to Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa) for creating it!