16 February 2007
Residents on a farm in Bere Ferrers, Tavistock have been forced to live without a home phone line since December 28th 2006 despite endless phone calls to BT, reports the Tavistock Times Gazette.
Frustrated at getting nowhere, Vera Jackson has now written to her local MP in the hopes that he will get a response from the telecommunications provider. BT claims that it needs to cut trees on a bank near the railway station which have grown close to telephone lines before it can connect Ms Jackson, but so far no action has been taken.
"It is driving me round the bend. I ring BT every week, but am not getting anywhere. They now say they have to get permission from the railways to cut the trees and will need to stop the trains," fumed Ms Jackson in the local paper.
"The trees have grown up on the road bank near the station around the wires, but is hasn't happened overnight."
BT has arranged for all telephone calls to be redirected to Vera's son's mobile, but with the farm being in a remote location, mobile phone reception is almost non-existent and the family has to stand outside if they wish to make a call.
Jason Mann from BT told the Tavistock Times Gazette: "Of course, we apologise for the delay, but this has been an exceptionally complicated case.
"We have liaised with the electricity company to attach the line to their pole rather than the existing one that is leaning towards the railway line, and we have now obtained permission to do that.
"We now need the go ahead from Network Rail to allow us to replace 90 metres of overhead cable," said Mr Mann, before emphasising that only four customers had been affected.
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