More than 40 homes north of Braintree were left without phone or internet connection for more than a week after underground cables were cut.

BT customers first experienced problems on November 27 and it wasn’t until Saturday that connection was restored - nine days later.

A BT spokesman said engineers had tried to renew the cables, which stretched for longer than 300 metres.

Retired Ken Fuller, 71, of Grove Field, High Garrett, intends to apply for compensation after his mobile phone bill was about £40 extra for the month.

He estimated that the problems affected homes and businesses from Broad Road to the Three Counties Crematorium, in Halstead Road.

He said: “We hadn’t heard anything from from BT since it happened."

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.