5 January 2007
Over 400 BT customers in Borehamwood are still without a landline telephone service after bad weather caused the main connection cables to become water-logged last Tuesday.
The Borehamwood Times reports that Manor Way, Arundel Drive, Oakwood Avenue, Featherstone Gardens and Melrose Avenue have all been affected by the flooding, despite efforts by BT to pump water away from the areas.
One resident, Karen Ward, 42, told the paper that she had been forced to have her calls re-routed to her mobile and that it was costing her money to ring out.
"I rang BT and I was told someone would call me back within one hour but no one has. I have tried to get through since and all I am getting is an automated response.
A spokesperson for BT told the paper: "Over the Christmas period, due to the heavy rains, water somehow was able to get into the cable.
"We did put water pumping machines in the area to prevent the damage but residents were upset by the amount of noise they were making. The cable then deteriorated very quickly and we now have to replace it, which is a big job.
"We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and will be working 24 hours a day to fix the problem. We have estimated that it should be fixed by January 7th."
In the meantime, consumers have been left frustrated as the problems have affected several small businesses as well as their homes.
"Everything has stopped working: our phone line, internet and cash machines," said Raj Raichura, the owner of a local Londis.
"We are a small business and it has affected us in a big way...I am thinking of writing to the managing director of BT once this is all over to ask for compensation for our losses."
Are you on the best talk plan for the way you use your home phone? Make a comparison with other suppliers and plans on uSwitch.com and if you could get a better deal, switch your home phone online today. It's free!
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
Content for the uSwitch.com market news service is provided by a third party, Adfero Ltd. Whilst uSwitch.com makes reasonable efforts to check the reliability of this content, uSwitch.com does not guarantee the accuracy thereof or endorse the views or opinions given by Adfero Ltd, unless expressly stated otherwise.