Anger at Openreach’s decision to install potentially thousands of Telegraph poles across Southport.
Residents of Southport are furious that Openreach are ordering dozens of telegraph poles to be installed homes where there previously there have never been any with Henley Drive and Rookery Road first, but many other roads planned.
Cambridge ward Councillors Sinclair d’Albuquerque and Leo Evans have been contacted by residents who have been told by Openreach that installation of large telegraph poles will be going ahead whether they like it or not. Objections received from many of the residents were going to be ignored and Openreach would put their telegraph poles up in front of their properties because they don’t need planning permission.
Councillor Sinclair d’Albuquerque was given a copy of a letter from Openreach ignoring objections and heard a recorded telephone call made to a vulnerable 80-year-old resident householder which was described as bullying tactics by representatives of Openreach. Councillor d’Albuquerque agreed that Openreach clearly didn’t seem to be interested in resident’s issues and clearly don’t care!
Sinclair said, “This feels like serious bully boy tactics by a large, well-financed company who knows that there is little that can be done to stop them”.
“It seems that legislation in place that allows the Openreach to install telegraph poles in the countryside where it would be understandably difficult to bury cables is being abused to quickly and as cheaply as possible install fibre optic cables”.
He continued, “This is unacceptable and needs to be stopped. This issue is not just happening in Southport, but in towns across the country. Could the whole of Southport end up with thousands of telegraph poles where there were none before just because Openreach want to install on the cheap? I notice the boss took a whopping bonus last year, could this be why?”.
The poles are being installed to bring full fibre broadband to resident’s properties. Openreach has suggested that burying cables is not an option despite the current broadband and telecommunications cables being buried under the roads.
Councillor d’Albuquerque has spoken to Damien Moore MP and asked him to intervene.
Sinclair said, “Damien Moore has told me that he wants a meeting with Openreach in order to discuss issues with the Fibre installations known as FTTP and will write to residents.”
A petition is currently available to sign in Hesketh Drive Post Office and an online petition to attempt to get the legislation changed available at:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/647970
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