Little Cheverell 'cut off' without internet for three weeks

Mike Phillips is the vice-chairman of Little Cheverell Parish Council

People living in a rural village have been left "cut off" after having no internet or landline connection for three weeks.

Little Cheverell, in Wiltshire, has been left without connectivity after an oak tree fell and damaged a telephone pole on 20 July.

Parish council vice-chairman, Mike Phillips, said: "The whole village has been left completely cut off."

Openreach said it is "really sorry" for delays to repair work.

Mr Phillips said there is "a lot of anger towards Openreach in the village".

"There are about 140 people in the village and 10% are over 75 with many also living alone," he said.

"So this has created a social and safety problem too - if they had an accident it's not like they can crawl upstairs to the attic to find a bar of 4G - they would be stuck," added Mr Phillips.

The councillor said that it had meant people could not work from home or contact friends and family.

Mr Phillips said: "This should have been treated with more urgency. If this was a power cut it would have been fixed in 24 hours, but why isn't broadband given the same priority when we're encouraged to take everything online?"

'Frustrating'

An Openreach spokesperson said about 95 customers had been affected by a loss of phone and broadband service in the village.

They said it had been a "complex repair" and its priority is to complete the work safely and as quickly as possible. 

Some residents reported their connection returning on Thursday.The spokesperson said: "We know how frustrating it is to be without phone and 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."