BRITISH Telecom has apologised to residents of Little Newcastle after they were left without their phone lines over Christmas and the New Year.
The problem was first reported to BT in November and villagers are now entering their seventh week without working landlines, some of which live alone and don’t have the luxury of mobile phones and the internet.
It is believed the fault lies at the exchange in the neighbouring village of Puncheston.
Residents were told by BT that the problem would be resolved by Friday, January 9, but they have now been told that it will be on Monday,January 12.
A spokesperson for Openreach apologised to the residents for the inconvenience caused.
He said: "We`re sorry it`s taken longer than usual to repair this fault.
"A manhole keeps filling with water that is causing problems to the line. We've used specialist equipment to clear the water but traffic management is now required to complete the work due to the location of the manhole.
"The traffic management survey will take place on Friday, January 9 and as always we will then liaise with the highways authority to ensure any inconvenience caused by roadworks is kept to a minimum."
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