Broadband companies that are repeatedly digging up pavements across Horsham to lay new cables are being accused of ‘trashing’ the town.
Published 11th May 2023, 16:00 BST
Updated 11th May 2023, 16:02 BST
And angry residents are condemning the trench works as ‘bonkers’ and ‘madness.’
They say that almost as soon as one company digs up the pavements, another comes along and digs them again.
And they say they are given no advance warning that the works are to take place. Now Horsham MP Jeremy Quin has stepped in to help.
Meanwhile many people have taken to social media to air their views and question why a trench is not laid once with an access slot at both ends so that repeated digging is not necessary. Many maintain it’s a waste of money.
One resident said that pavements near his home had been dug up twice within two months and a woman said a third company was expected to start work in the area soon. “Our town is trashed by these works,” she said. Another declared: “It’s madness.”
And another: “This is just plain bonkers and the money being wasted on these contracts is beyond belief.”
One woman said she was ‘livid’ when she saw barriers positioned outside her house with no advance warning “not to mention the stupidity of repeatedly digging up the pavements unnecessarily.”
Another person also said they had received no notice of the works and had just “woken up to find my drive blocked.” And another: “We definitely didn’t receive any notice, they just blocked our driveway at 8am one morning.”
Horsham MP Jeremy Quin said that he was now contacting broadband providers to see if local expansion of their services could be delivered through existing networks.
He said: “Improved fibre connectivity is really important for residents and the Government’s plans are delivering better services and competition to bring down costs. We want this delivered with the minimum of disruption to residents.
“The county council use permits to minimise the time spent and providers are expected to collaborate, reducing unnecessary disruption.
“One leading Horsham provider I contacted believe 60 per cent of their local expansion can be delivered through existing networks.
“I am contacting other providers encouraging them to work together to similarly reduces the digging up of our roads and the disruption it causes.”