WORKING from home proved an impossibility for some Sidemoor residents last week - after delays to telegraph pole repairs put a number of houses offline. 

Homes in Grayshott Close and Greenacres Road have been without broadband internet and phone lines for several days because of the mistake made by Openreach engineers on Monday (June 1).

Openreach has apologised for the delay in replacing the pole after a resident complained householders were given no notice that the work would be taking place.

The local woman, who asked not to be named, said: "Residents only realised what was happening when their internet connections dropped out.

"More concerning, the cables were cut and left dangling from roofs, across gardens and over cars."

There was no quick fix to the problem, with the engineers on site discovering they did not have the right equipment to replace the pole and reconnect homes.

"Many of the residents are working from home but can't without an internet connection, plus a high school student who needs to use the internet to study," the woman added.

"Some of the residents are elderly, people have been unable to use their landline - this has had a huge impact on the neighbourhood."

She added she knew of several people who would be complaining to Openreach and seeking a refund for their landline and internet bills.

A spokesperson for Openreach said: “We are really sorry for the inconvenience caused to a small number of people living on Grayshott Close and Greenacres Road.

"Replacing a pole is normally a straightforward task but on this occasion we ran into a problem which took a few days to sort out.

"Engineers are there today (Friday) installing the new pole and getting people back online.”