VILLAGERS have slammed a communications company after about 50 homes and small businesses were left without a telephone landline for more than a week.

Elderly and infirm people in Eldroth could have been put at risk by the failure to repair the line promptly, claims resident Richard Nicholas.

And he called the lack of action by Openreach – part of telecommunications giant BT – "inexcusable, bordering on downright dangerous".

Mr Nicholas said: "A lot of folk in Eldroth are now past their three score and ten. Not having a landline for at least a week could have ended up with a serious medical emergency not being dealt with expeditiously.

"Some of the more elderly residents do not have a mobile phone and reception is very poor in some places anyway. Small businesses were without telephones. The village has been treated in an appalling manner."

The problem started when a car hit a telegraph pole at Slated House Farm, felling it. But the telephone line itself appeared to be still intact after the accident, said Mr Nicholas.

He added: "When the Openreach technician arrived on the scene, it was suggested to him the line could be routed, on the ground, round the property, so the community would remain on the phone until a new pole could be erected. It was explained to the Openreach man that 50 properties would be affected if the line was taken out.

"The reply was that 'health and safety' would not allow the line to be re-routed like that. He just cut the intact line, taking out the 50 subscribers, tidied up the two loose ends of cable and went away."

Mr Nicholas said villagers were told it could be at least take a week to find a new pole. One was brought in three days after the accident... but it was the wrong type, Mr Nicholas said! The right pole was finally brought in eight days after the accident and the line re-connected.

Mr Nicholas added: "The workmen doing the job said they could have come out on the day following the incident if they had been properly informed.

"Unfortunately, it did not end there. Some of us had 'call divert' put onto our mobile phones. Neither us, nor our telecom providers, seem to have been told by Openreach the fault had been fixed. I found out from a neighbour some 30 hours later.

"Openreach are part of the BT group, which is making millions, yet it is unable to provide an acceptable level of service. It seems to be wholly unaccountable to its customers."

A BT Openreach spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused following a vehicle collision with one of our telegraph poles.

"Engineers attended the scene shortly after the first reported fault to make sure the area was safe but could not complete repairs due to the extent of the damage. A surveyor then attended and determined the only solution was to completely replace both the telegraph pole and the attached aerial cable. Engineers returned to complete work on August 25, with service fully restored the following day. In total, we had 12 reported faults.”