A VILLAGE was left cut off from the internet when a hit-and-run driver crashed into a telegraph pole, bringing down vital cables.
People living in Hawkesbury Upton have accused network provider BT OpenReach of neglecting them, after saying it could take nearly three weeks to re-connect them.
As the Voice went to print around 80 residents had not had any broadband or mobile data service for more than ten days after the incident.
They were told it might be early June before they are reconnected – a situation Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young described as “appalling”.
Resident John Bennett said a car or van hit a telegraph pole at around 10.45pm on May 16, as he was watching the Eurovision Song Contest.
He said: “I was sat in the lounge only a few feet away from where it went off.
“The pole was left hanging from overhead lines. It was the main distribution pole with a lot of connections and wires on it, and there was quite a bit of debris on the road.”
“The Fire Brigade arrived and decided the pole was in a dangerous position and had to be removed.”
He said BT OpenReach did not arrive to assess the damage until ten days later.
‘Livelihoods and lives are at risk’
The incident severed fibre cables connecting the village to broadband and landlines and while some households on the fibre service have been reconnected by operator Fibre Nova, BT customers, and those of EE, which it also provides services for, are still waiting for repairs.
Resident Debbie Young said: “We were told this would be done on June 4, which means we would be cut off from service for two-and-a-half weeks.
“The mobile signal is very poor – with no access for a lot of village and you can’t use mobile hotspot.
“We’re left cut off – those who work from home, and the self-employed, can’t work.”
Debbie has previously had to perform CPR on her husband, and at the time was talked through what to do by an emergency services operator.
She said: “If I hadn’t had this, my husband would have died. Not being able to call an ambulance is alarming.
“Livelihoods and lives are at risk here.
“I teach online courses. I have had to cancel online meetings.
“We feel neglected as a small rural community.”
Ms Young said: “I am appalled by BT OpenReach’s response to the problems in Hawkesbury Upton. “I was there on Friday and saw Fibre Nova engineers restoring service to their affected customers.
“There is no timetable from BT OpenReach and no communication to customers.
“It’s not good enough, and after not getting a satisfactory response I have escalated to BT OpenReach’s Chief Executive to try and get some action.”
‘Complex’ repairs
A BT OpenReach spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the disruption people in Hawkesbury Upton are facing and understand how frustrating it is to be without service.
“The pole which needs to be replaced is right next to high-voltage electricity equipment, which makes repairs more complex and means we need to work carefully and safely.
“Our engineers are assessing whether a temporary solution could reconnect customers more quickly, while we continue to progress a permanent fix as our priority.
“We’ll share a clearer timeline as soon as we can. In the meantime, we thank residents for their patience.”
Picture: Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young and a resident next to the downed telegraph pole