ELDERLY people have been left isolated by BT’s failure to fix their home phone lines after a car crashed into a telegraph pole.

Homes in Beaconfield Road, Epping, were disconnected on Saturday (March 17), when the crash ripped phone cables from buildings and the telecoms company has said it cannot fix the problem until Friday (March 30).

Alfred Austin, 91, whose house was one of those disconnected, said: “I’ve borrowed a mobile phone at the moment, but I don’t really understand how it works, so I would like the landline back.

“I live on my own. Usually, the family’s always ringing up and I can’t walk far, so I rely on them to take me shopping.

“They’ve got to reinstate it.”

His son, Graham Austin, 61, who regularly visits his father, said: “When someone hit the telegraph pole, the police were here all day waiting for the telecom company to fix it.”

He said that after a BT worker turned up to clear away the wires that had been ripped from the pole, he had not been told when the lines would be reconnected, despite calling the company.

“The lady next door to my dad is in her 80s and the other side are retired and it can be quite isolating not to have a phone,” he said. “If they said it would be Thursday or Friday, that would be better, but they’re just waiting.”

Diana Purcell, 50, also of Beaconfield, said: “As soon as I heard the crash on Saturday, I called BT.

“I ran upstairs, looked out of my bedroom window and when I saw what had happened, my reaction was to pick up the phone beside my bed to see if the lines were working and they weren’t.

“I notified them within five minutes and I think it’s a bit excessive that we still haven’t got anything.”

Her neighbour, Nina Aim, 50, said: “I’ve got kids without the internet who can’t do any college work and it’s frustrating.

“You phone them up and try to get to the bottom of it and no-one then knows what they’re doing.

“No-one has come around and said ‘this is what’s happening’ or given us a courtesy phone call.”

A BT spokesman said five homes were currently disconnected, although residents believe more people have been affected.

“Engineers have been to site to make the area safe following this incident,” he added. “It has not been possible to provide temporary service whilst we plan the full repair.

“The cable crosses the road and to allow safe working we have applied for traffic management for the area.”

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