A group of Tiptree residents were finally reconnected this week - after nearly a month without telephones.

Six residents in Maldon Road, including two registered disabled, went off line on October 29 and despite contact with BT and visits from various engineers to a nearby junction box they were left without a line.

Resident Frank Porter said: "We have one neighbour who is bedridden who has one of those call buttons but that goes through BT too, so we had to make arrangements that if she wanted assistance she would put a newspaper in the window and someone will go to see her - we have been cut off from the outside world."

BT press officer Emma Littlejohn said the telephones were reconnected on Monday. She said: "We believe the problem was possibly the cabling duct which had been badly waterlogged. The weather conditions have made it difficult for us in a lot of areas and you cannot repair it until the area has dried out. We can only apologise to customers for the inconvenience."

She added that because of the severe weather conditions across the country BT has actually suspended its compensation scheme - but added that those customers affected will get a rebate on their line rental and a small amount of compensation.

Telephone misery: Pictured (left to right) are John Hull, Frank Porter and Harold Potter who have waited nearly a month to be re-connected to the telephone.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.