Openreach slammed as village's phone and internet out for weeks

Almost 100 of the 144 people who live in Little Cheverall have been affected and many have complained to infrastructure service provider Openreach about the delays in restoring connections.

One described their attempts as a ‘comedy of errors' and said phones and broadband should be treated as ‘critical infrastructure’ and given greater priority when lines are down.

Access was cut off on Thursday, July 20 when a tree fell in Low Road, Little Cheverell, near Market Lavington, and brought down a telephone wire.

Mike Phillips, vice chairman of Little Cheverell Parish Council, said: “I firmly believe that phones and the internet are now critical infrastructure, the same as gas, electricity and water.

“They should be given greater priority when lines are down because people now depend on them. It has a huge social impact.

“We alerted Openreach to the problem but nothing happened. I had to email the company’s chief executive officer to get it escalated.

“Every time they try to do something the dates seem to slip back. It’s been a comedy of errors.

“It’s been three weeks now and we’re still waiting for the phones and internet to be reconnected.”

Mike Phillips and other angry residents at Little Cheverell have complained about the delay in restoring their phone and internet connections after a fallen tree brought down a telephone line. Photo: Trevor Porter 70052-1 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Mr Phillips says elderly residents aged 75 and over depend on phones and the internet to maintain contact with friends and relatives and the outside world.

“A lot of people are being placed at risk. If someone should fall ill in the village there is a threat to life.

“In this day and age, internet access and phone lines are a basic necessity, the same as gas and electricity or water, and should be treated as a priority.

“What the hell do you do if someone has an accident? It is very difficult to measure the consequences of that.”

A spokesperson for Openreach said: “Our broadband and phone network in Little Cheverell was damaged by a falling tree, impacting phone and broadband service to around 95 customers. 

“The complex repair involves teams from Openreach and our partners, and our priority is to complete the work safely and as quickly as possible.

“We re-erected the pole last week and applied for permission for traffic management but were unsuccessful because of other works in the area. 

“We tried to do this again with a diversion but were unable to effect a suitable workaround.

“We now have permission to undertake the work tomorrow (Wednesday) for a period of three days. 

“We have fibre and copper engineers ready to start and should have customers online quickly once their work can begin safely. 

"We anticipate all customers being reconnected by Thursday afternoon.

“We know how frustrating it is to be without phone and/or broadband and we’re really sorry we haven’t been able to get things repaired more quickly.

“It’s worth remembering that vulnerable status (which can prioritise repair work) is determined by broadband providers; if you think you or a family member should be given this status, please register with your provider.”