Faulty phone line causes problems for Barnoldswick residents (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Faulty phone line causes problems for Barnoldswick residents
8:00am Saturday 20th October 2012 in News
MORE than 100 residents in Barnoldswick are facing further problems with their phone service while BT try to fix a faulty cable.
The communications giant received the first fault report on September 13 and discovered wear and tear on a section of cable.
But they have been unable to make repairs so far because it is not safe to do the work without closing the road.
Michael and Angela Butterworth, who live off Manchester Road in Barnoldswick, have been affected by the fault.
They returned from holiday on September 21 to find that their line and their neighbours’ had been out of service since September 12.
“The normal land line is not working,” said Mr Butterworth. “Even though we have this dodgy line, we’ve got no problem with the internet.
“So we’ve been using an internet hub phone, but we’ve got friends who don’t have a hub phone or a mobile phone, so they can’t contact us.”
A councillor believes that more than 100 households in Barnoldswick could be without a phone as a result.
Coun David Whipp said: “Several households lost their service on September 12 and it’s rumoured that 128 households are affected.
“For several weeks, people phoning the affected numbers get a recorded message saying that the phone is out of service due to a fault.”
BT does not have a date for closing the road as it has been gathering information to submit to Lancashire County Council, which needs to approve the closure.
A BT spokesman said: “We are extremely sorry for the delay in carrying out this repair and the inconvenience this is causing.
“In order to meet health and safety working requirements we will submit a request for road closure in order to replace 100 metres of cable along Manchester Road.
“When a date for road closure is confirmed to us by the local authority we will complete work as quickly as possible and restore service to those currently without.
“I would recommend those affected should contact their service provider to arrange a phone divert to a mobile phone if they have not already done so.”
