MONTHS of broadband interruptions may soon be at an end for a dale village after Openreach promised to replace about 700m of cabling.
People in Stainton Grove were planning to start a petition to get the utility company to do the work out of frustration that engineers were not solving the issue of their internet randomly being cut off several times a day.
Paddy Walker, who lives in The Oval, said engineers had been called out multiple times to the village but the problem continued.
He said: “I dare say I have had 20 engineers out in the past 12 months. I work in broadband tech support so I know the kind of faults that happen. When we report an issue they are replacing bits of the cable.”
He believes the aluminium cable connecting Stainton Grove’s cabinet to the exchange in Barnard Castle is at the centre of the problem. He is asking for it to be replaced with copper.
Mr Walker said the continual cuts are frustrating simple tasks and is impacting on his daughter Ebony’s ability to do her homework.
The seven-year-old takes up to two hours to complete an online advanced reading session that should only take 20 minutes, he said.
After speaking to other people in the village, Mr Walker said there is support for a petition and he also plans to get members of parliament involved.
He said: “We know it is an issue all over and we are paying for a service [that we are not getting].”
A spokesperson for Openreach confirmed that four faults had been raised on their system and the aluminium cable could potentially be part of the problem.
The spokesperson said: “We are sorry for the issues Mr Walker is experiencing with his broadband connection.
“A potential issue with the aluminium cable was identified on January 8 and a request to change the cable is now with our planning team to agree, survey and plan the work.”
