Broadband hit by 'major damage' to cables
AlamyHundreds of people have been without broadband as engineers work to repair "major damage" to multiple telecommunications cables.
Openreach said people in Cumbria were affected after the cables were cut during work on construction of a new road system near Newby, Carlisle, on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the firm said repairs were "very complex - involving telecom and civil engineers, cable crews and excavators - and while some services have been restored, work remains ongoing".
Hayley Holloway, who lives in Braithwaite, said rural areas have been "left without communication because of poor 4G signal" and "vulnerable locals have become isolated".
She said there had been a "major outage of Sky services in the north Cumbria area" and "businesses have been impacted" since Wednesday."
Openreach said hundreds of people have been without broadband and telephone services.
The company's broadband network is used by multiple service providers.
Engineers have been working to repair the damage which has affected "some types of telephony and fibre-based broadband services", the company added.
"We're sorry for the impact on local people and are doing everything possible to complete this major restoration effort as soon as possible."