Burnham-on-Sea service poles taken down after complaints

Lawrence, a 72-year-old resident of Burnham-on-Sea, was dismayed when two huge poles were placed near Bay View Gardens, and he was also faced with plans to install further cables across the entire length of his garden.

After attempting to reach out to relevant authorities for help, he spoke to Claire Sully, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bridgwater, in hopes of finding a solution.

Claire will stand alongside Ashley Fox (Conservative) and Leigh Redman (Labour), in hopes of becoming the new Bridgwater constituency's Member of Parliament at the upcoming general election.

Openreach then confirmed to Lawrence that the poles would soon be taken down.

“Cllr Claire Sully of Somerset Council, immediately responded, making personal contact, making a site investigation and ultimately making contact with Openreach," he said.

“I am delighted for Lawrence that we helped find a satisfactory solution to his problem,” Claire added.

“It is a fundamental trait of an MP that they take issues which are important to their constituents seriously.”

In response to the situation, a spokesperson for Openreach said: “Our engineers and build partners are working hard to bring ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to Burnham-on-Sea.

"This will not only create huge benefits to families and businesses in the area but also a welcome boost to the local economy.

“Wherever possible, we use existing infrastructure (poles and ducts) while building Full Fibre.

"We’re aware of the visual impact our equipment can have and the balance between cost effectiveness, aesthetics and safety can be difficult to achieve.

"As a result, there are times when we simply cannot avoid erecting poles to provide services efficiently, safely and in a sound engineering manner.

“In this case, new poles were the only feasible way of delivering ultrafast Full Fibre, but following objections we have removed this street from our build plan.”