Residents in Pinchbeck and Spalding have spoken of weeks without internet and landlines with one 91-year-old having had a fall after being cut off from his ‘lifeline’.
Don Churchman, of Bourne Road, Spalding, found he was unable to call anyone on December 22.
The next day, unable to use the phone, he instead attempted to walk to his neighbours’ house but fell leaving him with bruising on much of his body.
“I’m not much good with technology,” said the former Merchant Navy engineer officer. “The landline is my lifeline; it’s what I rely on.
“I have a sister in Essex and cousins dotted around the country, but that’s it really.
“I wanted to contact my neighbour but the landline was as dead as a dodo.
“I decided to walk round there instead in the pitch black but slipped.
“I got bruising along the right side of my face and looked like Frankenstein.
“I could barely open my eye for a time.
“Luckily I managed to get back to the house.”
After seeing his plight, Don’s neighbours brought him a mobile phone the next day and taught him how to use it.
As The Voice went to press he was still without the landline.
Some people in Pinchbeck have been reported to be without the internet or a landline for the last four weeks.
Jane Chiappino told The Voice that her parents, who live on Church Street, are among those affected.
They’re with Sky who have said it’s a problem with the BT Openreach internet connection.
“I think it is forgotten that many still rely on landlines, as my parents do,” said Jane, “Other family members could not contact them over Christmas which caused many worried people.”
A spokesman for BT Openreach said: “We’re sorry for the disruption here, but we’re doing all we can to carry out a really complex repair as quickly as possible.
“We’ve had a temporary solution in place for most people throughout the Christmas and New Year period and we’re now switching people from the temporary service to the new cable our engineers have installed.
“We hope to finish by the end of this week.”
