Weymouth residents' phone fury continues (From Dorset Echo)

Weymouth residents' phone fury continues

5:14pm Saturday 2nd February 2013 in Local News By Emma Walker

Phone problems for, from left, Jillian Hall and daughter-in-law Helen Toft

DOZENS of people are without working phone lines after nearly a fortnight of connection faults in Weymouth.

BT Openreach apologised last month to around 120 phone users affected by damage to an underground cable on Wyke Road.

While engineers repaired initial connection problems, a  total of 115 phone users in the Wyke Regis area remain without working phones.

A spokesman for BT admitted that a second cable has since developed a series of faults due to a recent heavy downpour.

Overnight repair work, which will involve four-way temporary lights at the junction of Rodwell Road and Wyke Road, is hoped to be complete by Thursday next week.

Engineers will have to replace around 530 metres of new cable.

The spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience local people are experiencing and would like to reassure them we are doing everything possible to put things right.

“We’d advise people to speak to their service providers for help with practicalities such as getting line diverts put in place to alternatives such as mobile phones in the interim.”

Weymouth and Portland Borough Councillor Colin Huckle is urging BT to take action.

He said: “Many residents have contacted me to say their phone lines have been down for nearly two weeks.

“It is not good enough, they have now told us it won’t be fixed for days.

“My concern is with the elderly residents who don’t have mobiles or family nearby.”