Old fashioned telephone connection

[mat167]

Hi Everyone,

I have just moved into a 1950's house and it has a very precarious telephone connection (The cable comes from the telegraph pole to the eaves, where it connects to 2 ceramic pots) that is about to fall down as it blows in the wind and is held on by one screw

I have spoken to open reach but they have fobbed me off, can I replace this myself or do i need openreach to do it?

If it blows down in the wind and is lying in the road, is that my responsibility or openreach?

Thanks in advance

Matt

 

[AlanE]

Contact your telephone service provider, the one who you pay your bill to, and tell them the cable is in a precarious situation.

You might also add that they are now legally on notice and if it should come down in the wind and injures someone it could well end in a large compensation claim to them.

Don't be tempted to try repairs yourself, could be dangerous and after all it is the property of Open Reach.

 

[mattylad]

A branch hit my line and snapped it coincidentally in the wind.
because the break was in the middle it means a complete new drop cable etc.

Improved my broadband a fair bit.

 

[OwainDIYer]

And ceramic insulators and brackets can fetch a nice sum on ebay

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

Ring your service provider and tell them it is about to fall down and hit somebody ...and it is very dangerous... ask them for a reference number

 

[plugwash]

AIUI openreach won't talk to you directly about such matters, you have to go through your telephone service provider which means more beuracracy in the way of getting stuff sorted.

 

[bernardgreen]

If the cable is strung across a public highway and is in imminent danger of falling onto the highway then contact the Highways Department at your local council. They can contact OpenReach and get them to remove the hazard. In theory they only have to remove the dangerous item but in practise they will ( almost always ) re-string the cable.

 

[cajar]

those things were fitted by raking out the mortar, inserting a piece of wood, and driving the spike into the wood. so the fixing isn't great. they are quite heavy and could kill someone if it falls on them so definitely report it.

anyone can call openreach (don't need to be a customer) and tell them their plant is in a dangerous condition.

 

[bernardgreen]

From OpenReach website

Damage:If you see broken or missing manhole cover, telephone poles that have been blown down by gales, street cabinets that have been affected by flooding or obviously vandalised, please dial 0800 023 2023 and select Option 1. (This number is reserved for calls about our network. The operators won’t be able to help with other issues.)

 

[cajar]

if it's holding a cable that's spanning across a road, tell then the fixing is loose and there's a chance of a vehicle strike if/when it fails, and you'll likely have someone there in an hour or 2.

lorries hitting low bt cables have killed people in recent years and bt been fined, so its something they like to keep on top of to get hse off their backs.

 

[simonpolly]

As above ring the that number and tell them it is dangerous, you will have a engineer out and the problem sorted with in four hours. It will be classed as a damage report which goes to the top of the work stack.

P.S if it is the really old cable that looks like two piano wires (uninsulated) it needs replacing

 

[tomy]

If it comes out as a damage report as dangerous , it may just get made safe , ie taken down and not put back up , then you would have to raise a fault on your line