Cable theft leaves thousands with no internet

Residents faced "significant disruption" after cables were stolen, cutting phone and internet services to 2,500 properties.

Lincolnshire Police said it was investigating the theft at Roman Road in Moulton Chapel near Spalding at about 08:50 GMT on Monday.

Openreach said the theft was causing "significant disruption" to customers and engineers were working to get people reconnected as soon as possible.

Andrew Fowler, who runs a coach company, said it reminded him of power cuts of the 1970s. "It's just a bit sad that you have to go back to the dark ages and start again," he said.

Openreach, which runs the UK's digital network, said: "We're disappointed that residents in Moulton Chapel have borne the brunt of malicious damage and theft of cables from our phone and broadband network.

"This causes significant disruption to everyday lives and puts vulnerable people at risk."

Fowler, 58, runs Fowler's Coaches in Holbeach Drove which provides school transport for hundreds of children.

He said his team realised they had no internet when they arrived for work on Monday morning.

"Obviously, with that, no telephones. We couldn't track the vehicles, we couldn't do very much without the internet because of the booking systems, and, if anybody wanted any changes to make to the day's scheduling, we were unable to access it," he said.

Fowler has been using a mobile phone to ensure customers can contact him.

He also bought a new router with a sim card to allow his staff to continue working online, although at a slower pace.

"When I was a child in the 1970s, there was a three day week and, very often, the electric would go off. My dad went and bought a little generator. We addressed it and made the best of a bad job.

"Today we haven't got our main cable-fed internet so we have been and bought a little router to fill the gap.

"It's like going back 50 years."

Julie Watkins runs Blooms and Wicks in Whaplode Drove, which makes products including wax melts, carpet fresheners and room sprays.

She said she had no internet connection since Monday.

"We're trying to launch a new product range for Valentines Day and we have to be legislation compliant and we're unable to get that information from our suppliers via the internet at the moment," Watkins said.

"It is a nuisance."

Openreach asked people living in the Spalding area to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police.

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