Phone box offers lifeline for storm-hit villagers
BBCPeople living in a remote village are using an old BT phone box to communicate with the outside world after storms.
Some villagers in Helford, Cornwall, have been without internet access since Storm Goretti struck three weeks ago.
But the fact the village usually has very poor mobile phone coverage means the familiar bright red BT phone box still has a functioning payphone in it. A satellite broadband system in the pub has allowed people to get limited internet access but one parish councillor said: "The phone has been great for people who just wanted to make a phone call."
Engineers from BT Openreach have been working round the clock to reconnect people since Storm Goretti struck.
Nestled on the south bank of the Helford River, Helford is a Cornish hamlet, complete with creek views, thatched pub and tiny village shop.
It is hugely popular with holidaymakers and second home owners, but the impact of Storm Goretti on the all-year-round residents has been profound.
At its peak, the hurricane-force winds left 28,000 customers in the area without any access to broadband services.
Most of those properties have since been reconnected, but households in Helford remain disconnected - apart from the payphone.
John Steed, has lived in Helford for most of his life and is a member of Manaccan Parish Council.
He explained the only reason the phone box still had a working phone was because of the non-existent mobile signal in the area.
"We're very proud of our red phone box," he laughed.
"Initially, we were told by BT it was going to close, so we planned to buy the phone boxes here in Manaccan for a pound.
"Then we discovered there is an Ofcom rule that you have to have access to four mobile networks, which we certainly do not have, we barely have access to one.
"Because of that, we got to keep our red phone box and thank God we have."
As with many Cornish communities, the loss of power, water and internet services after the storms and floods has brought out the best in community spirit.
Steed said: "The new owners of the pub put up a satellite link here, in the pub, so we've had a bit of a hub in the village, but the phone has been great for people who just wanted to make a phone call."
In a statement, BT Openreach said: "Weather conditions on the ground are hampering the completion of some critical overhead work such as replacing aerial cables as wind speeds and gusts are restricting the use of hoists".
The firm said such hoists could not be used in high winds for safety reasons.
"We're very sorry to those customers still affected but our engineers are working as quickly as possible to get to them," the statement said.
"Unfortunately, the reality is that this type of repair work - closing roads, replacing poles and overhead cables - is complex and time consuming."
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