South Derbyshire village’s phone lines cut off for three weeks
Phone lines have been cut off for weeks in a South Derbyshire village. Some homes and businesses have also lost their broadband connections in an area of the district mainly including the Newhall area[1].
The problem was initially caused by a damaged cable that Openreach has found 'complex' to repair. It started on Sunday, September 24.
Several businesses, including two Chinese takeaways, a hairdresser's and the Mercia Academy, (formerly William Allitt School), lost their landlines. It resulted in the lines being "engaged" on a permanent basis.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "The various business owners I have spoken to have tried getting fix dates out of BT, only to be fobbed off with arbitrary dates sometime in the future. These dates come and go and the repairs still haven't been completed. Many of them are losing money because of this.
"Some businesses have been able to activate call diversions, but still have no idea when the landlines will be repaired, but I understand hundreds have been affected."
Openreach said that the bulk of the work had been done, which has included new underground ducting, and that has had to be routed around other infrastructure such as water, gas and power. An Openreach spokesman said: "Our engineers are working hard to repair a badly damaged cable running from the Swadlincote exchange[4].
"This is affecting phone lines and a small number of broadband customers in the Newhall area. We understand how disruptive this is, and we’re doing everything we can to get the work completed as quickly as possible. But due to the nature of the damage, this is proving to be a huge and complex job.
"Our engineers have already laid new duct, carefully avoiding existing gas, electricity and water pipes. With the bulk of the work now done, we’re now starting the work of reconnecting people – this will continue throughout the week - and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding so far."
People wishing to seek compensation for the loss of service should contact their provider (the company that they are invoiced by).
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References
- ^ Newhall area (www.staffordshire-live.co.uk)
- ^ Applause and cheering as Swadlincote killer sent down for life (www.staffordshire-live.co.uk)
- ^ Car and house sustain heavy damage as police shut Burton street after crash (www.staffordshire-live.co.uk)
- ^ the Swadlincote exchange (www.staffordshire-live.co.uk)
- ^ Sign up for free email alerts to StaffordshireLive straight to your inbox here (data.reachplc.com)