Frustration over poles 'littering village'

Councillor Phillip Redshaw hopes some of the poles will be taken down

Villagers say they want to know why telegraph poles that have been "littering" their streets for over a year are not being used.

The poles were installed by broadband firms MS3 and Connexin to create alternatives to KCOM's existing fibre network in Cottingham, East Yorkshire. But in July, KCOM announced a deal to share its underground infrastructure.

Councillor Phillip Redshaw estimated there were about 100 unconnected poles in the village and said he hoped the KCOM deal would mean "we can get rid of some".

CityFibre, which now owns Connexin, said it was reviewing the use of poles as part of plans to bring "a greater choice of full-fibre broadband" to the area.

Redshaw, who represents Cottingham North, said: "Up to about two years ago, with KCOM we had around about 400 poles in the village, but then with the arrival of MS3 and Connexin we suddenly saw them bring in 600 poles apiece, so we now have around 1,600 poles littering the village."

He had "counted at least 60" that were not wired up during "a short walk" and there were similar numbers in places such as Molescroft in Beverley, and Sutton and Middleburg Street in Hull.

"They are just standing there and doing nothing," he added.

"I know that Connexin and MS3 are talking to KCOM about the potential of sharing infrastructure.

"We just need to have closure on this."

Jane Simms has two broadband poles outside her house in Cottingham

Connexin and MS3 began putting up poles in Cottingham in 2023. Jane Simms has two outside her house.

She said: "Only one of them is being used and it's pointless and it's right outside.

"It should all have been done under the ground. Poles are pretty archaic.

"It would have been good if they could have used KCOM's equipment right from the beginning."

Fellow villager Nicki Woods also has a pole outside her home.

"There's a lot of poles in this area that don't have wires connected to them so it seems a little unnecessary," she said.

"If the companies can get their heads together and we can get better pricing and they can share resources, I think that's a great idea."

One of the unconnected poles in a residential street in Cottingham

KCOM said other broadband providers were able to access their network following a successful trial in the summer.

"This enables all communication providers in the Hull area to access KCOM's full-fibre infrastructure, with full details publicly available on our website," a spokesperson added.

CityFibre, which acquired Connexin's infrastructure in March, said: "Our integration of Connexin's existing infrastructure is progressing well, including a review of the use of poles in the area, as we get ready to launch and bring a greater choice of full fibre broadband to homes and businesses throughout Hull and East Riding."

The BBC contacted MS3 for comment.

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