Nissan plant in Sunderland said to be hit by cyber attack which crippled NHS

A Nissan spokesman issued a statement on behalf of the company today.

It said: "Like many organisations our UK plant has been subject to a ransomware attack affecting some of our systems on Friday evening.

"Our teams are working to resolve the issue."

It is understood systems including those used in offices and on the factory floor have been hit. The incident is "ongoing".

Hospitals across England and Scotland have been crippled by the global attack, which began on Friday and saw around 45 organisations infiltrated by malicious software.

A Nissan worker from the city, who did not wish to be named, said that his shift was sent home shortly after 6am this morning, when they were due to start.

He said: "The whole place has been shut down - they sent us all home because the fire alarms and everything were going off. All the systems are down.

He added: "Am I going to be at work on Monday, am I going to be at work next week?"

Doctors yesterday reported seeing computers go down "one by one" as the "ransomware" took hold on Friday, locking machines and demanding money, in the online currency Bitcoin, to release the data.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said teams were "working round the clock" in response to the attack as it was reported up to 99 countries, including the US and Russia, were hit.

Speaking yesterday, Prime Minister Theresa May said the Government is not aware of any evidence patient records had been compromised.

She added: "This is not targeted at the NHS, it's an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected."

Home Secretary Amber Rudd will chair a Cobra meeting today at 2.30pm. It is thought that 99 countries, including the United States and Russia, have been affected by the attack.

If you are a victim of a ransomware attack, you can report it here.