Hospital staff suffered major disruption when work to combat the Millennium computer bug put much of their telephone system out of action yesterday.

Engineers were installing new software at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, to ensure its telecommunications system would operate beyond 2000.

But the system, which was due to have been installed in the early hours of Sunday morning, would not work. BT then put in 600 temporary lines - far fewer than the usual 2,300 - and some senior staff were given walkie-talkies.

The Royal Berkshire Hospital at Reading was put on alert in case there was a major incident as managers at the John Radcliffe feared they would have difficulty putting their full emergency plan into action.

Mike Fleming, the JR's director of administration, said the work had caused "some worrying moments" but added: "Our staff have coped magnificently."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.