Sabden telephone misery ‘almost over’

Dozens of homes and St Mary’s RC Primary School have in recent weeks been plagued by problems, including crossed lines and phones being cut off.

Some properties have now seen phone lines and broadband services reconnected after workmen installed a new 70m cable. Residents reported some lines were still crossed on Monday after nearly a month of on-going problems around Watt Street and Whalley Road in the village.

But BT bosses sent in specialist engineers to the exchange to finally fix telephone problems in the village.

Ribble Valley councillor Richard Newmark, who lives at The Whins, was one of the residents hit by telephone problems.

He said: “We got our phone service back on Monday, but we were still getting a crossed line with the school on some calls. I was going to call BT, but I am worried they will cut me off again. It has been going on for nearly four weeks now.

“One or two people in the village I have spoken to were still cut off. It is an important utility and it is a lifeline for older people who maybe don’t have a mobile phone.”

A spokesman for BT Openreach, said: “This has been quite a complex repair. We had to replace 70m of cable and then send in a specialist engineer to sort out connections at the exchange. Getting the school up and running was an important priority, as was the work on other people’s lines.”