Hedon broadband poles installation stopped by council

Campaigners in Hedon have tried to block the installation of broadband poles

A council has stopped the installation of controversial broadband poles near Hull over safety concerns.

Residents in Hedon who oppose the work have attempted to stop telecom workers placing the poles on the streets.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it had temporarily suspended work on behalf of MS3 Networks as it "failed to meet the required safety standards".

MS3 Networks said the work was paused "whilst a full health and safety review takes place".

The decision came after a video emerged on social media of contractors operating after dark in breach of health and safety guidelines.

Guy Miller, chief executive of MS3, said he was aware of the video, before adding that the firm was "fully committed to ensuring we, and our contractors, exceed minimum criteria for our build standards".

He said the temporary suspension would "not impact other areas of our build or when using underground delivery or utilising third-party infrastructure".

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said it would be holding a meeting with MS3 Networks

A council spokesman said the authority was committed to ensuring that contractors met national safety standards.

"The council issued a stop work notice to MS3 to enable a thorough investigation," they said.

"Today we met with representatives from MS3, and their contractor to discuss the issues. The meeting was productive and MS3 had agreed to take several corrective actions.

"Once reviewed, we will take the decision whether to allow MS3 to resume works."

Campaigners in Hedon have called for the cables to be placed underground or for new broadband providers to use the existing infrastructure built by Hull-based KCom.

Julie Dervey from the group Going Underground described the suspension as "just a small battle that we've won".

She said: "Until this legislation loophole is closed, where they don't have to apply for any kind of planning permission, they can't be made to share infrastructure with other companies if it's pre-existing.

"Until that's all sorted, then they're going to carry on."