Angry villagers from Monkton Wyld in West Dorset, which has been without phone line or broadband since mid October have formed an action group — The Monkton Wyld Cut Off Group — to put pressure on British Telecom to repair the line.
The group claims that BT have been difficult to contact, and when contacted villagers have been given incorrect information by BT employees who didn’t seem to know what was happening.
Over a dozen lines in the small village are not working, affecting over 35 people and four businesses, including the educational charity at Monkton Wyld Court which employs 16 people.
The telephone line was broken in a high wind on 17 October and reported to BT the following morning. BT first informed villagers the line would be repaired by 23 October, and then changed the date to 30 October. Since then villagers have variously been told that it will be repaired by 18 November, or 27 November, or “possibly not until January”.
Winston Chapman, a local farmer, said: ” I was informed that the lane running down to the village would have to be dug up over 100 metres. But the line runs overhead and we can see the broken cable flapping around.”
BT informed several members of the group that an application had been made to dig up the road and install traffic lights. But as of Monday both Dorset County Council Highways dept and Connect who manage the nearby A35 for the Highways Agency state that no application to close any road has been lodged by BT.
Simon Fairlie, who contacted Dorset County Council on behalf of the group, said: “Their Highways Officer told me this would not be the first time that BT have informed customers that they have made an application to close the road when in fact they haven’t. “
Fairlie, who runs a smallholding and publishes a magazine in the village added: “It is impossible to find out from BT what is going on. I had to rent a room in Lyme Regis for three days to catch up with all my on-line work.”
Sue Aird of Monkton Wyld Court said ” We keep trying to contact BT but we can never get any reliable information out of them. This has been a disaster. Our livelihoods are dependent upon our phone, email and website to bring in bookings. “
