FAMILIES have been unable to enjoy their presents in a Flintshire village after being left without working phone or broadband connections over Christmas.

About 50 homes in Gwespyr were left without connectivity for 17 days after a car hit and knocked over a telephone pole on Tanrallt Road on Friday, December 20.

The pole was replaced on Monday, January 6 by Openreach engineers, however the time to restore service has angered residents.

Dennis Hogan, a heating engineer who lives on the nearby Llanasa Road, said: “It’s been a complete joke from start to finish, it’s absolutely ridiculous that half the village - about 50 houses - have been left like this.

“People, like in my house, have given gifts of things like iPads and laptops and no one has been able to use them.

The Leader:

Resident Denis Hogan with the broken telegraph pole. Picture: Phil Micheu

“For two weeks we heard virtually nothing about when it was going to be fixed, and we’re left to try and speak to our family using our mobiles.

“A lot of my neighbours, a lot of older people, have been cut off from speaking to their loved ones over Christmas - it’s scandalous.”

Pensioner David Callis, Mr Hogan’s neighbour on Pen-Y-Bryn, said: “We rely on our phone line in Gwespyr because the mobile reception isn’t always reliable. We haven’t been able to contact anyone easily.

“Thank goodness we haven’t been waiting for an important phone call, nobody would have been able to reach us for more than two weeks.”

Mr Hogan is a BT customer, and has complained that throughout the period he has “been kept in the dark” about when the service would be fixed and only received a phone call from the provider for the first time on Friday, January 3.

BT have declined to comment on the issue.

Openreach, which is functionally split from BT, is responsible for upgrading and repairing the phone and broadband network which is used by many service providers including Sky.

Sky customer Eileen Hignett, who also lives on Llanasa Road, said: “It’s been terrible. We’ve had to talk to Sky to get them to speak to BT and Openreach on our behalf.

“The response has been atrocious, first they were going to fix it on Christmas Eve, then December 27, then January 3. I know it’s been Christmas, but that’s only three bank holiday days over a period of more than two weeks.

“Meanwhile, I’m running out of data to speak to my family.”

A spokesman for Openreach said: “Our engineers attended early on Monday, January 6 and customers should now be back in service. If anyone is still experiencing any issues, they should contact their service provider as soon as possible.

“We are really sorry for the delay in getting this pole replaced. We had hoped to get the work done during the Christmas and New Year period, but unfortunately this was not possible, as we needed a specialist team to attend.”

Mr Hogan responded: “It’s just been a joke from start to finish.

“They said it was going to need specialist contractors to install the pole, and that the wires might not be connected the same day taking up to two or three days. They also said that they need special permission from Flintshire County Council to close they road.

“Then when they came to fix it, it only took four hours for the pole and wires to go up, and when I passed them at 8.30am they didn’t even have to close the road.”

Mr Callis said: “They didn’t need traffic lights, no road closures, no disruptions - I really don’t know what the fuss was about and why they didn’t do it weeks ago.”

Flintshire Council’s chief officer for streetscene and transportation, Steve Jones, said: “Flintshire County Council was notified of these works today and we have received confirmation that the repairs have been completed.

“A utility can exercise their powers to carry out roadworks to prevent, or put an end to an unplanned interruption of any supply or service under an immediate notification, and therefore in accordance with legislation, are only required to inform the Council two hours after the roadworks have commenced.

“The council has no records of a request to close the road to facilitate these works.”

A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “We were called on Friday, December 20 at 5.51pm to reports of a pole that was hit and fell in to a private garden. Enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with any information is urged to call us on 101 with reference number X182776.”