Openreach has warned there could be disruption to phone and broadband connections if the north-east is battered with storms again this winter.
As a result of Storm Arwen, Dudley, Eunice and Franklin, more than 100 electricity poles needed to be replaced.
Since then, Openreach has been reviewing its approach to extreme weather by:
- Making sure its 3,000 Scottish engineers have the best possible specialist winter kit.
- Looking at whether the network can be rerouted in areas that have proved particularly vulnerable to storms in recent years.
- Reviewing how information on any disruption is shared with communities.
As well as this, the company is also offering the following tips for phone and broadband users:
- Tell your provider if you are vulnerable
- Prepare for an outage
- Report damage online or by calling 0800 023 2023
- Check your power
- Consider upgrading to Full Fibre
‘We’re doing everything we can to prepare for it’
Service delivery director for Openreach in Scotland Jenni Macfarlane said: “It’s impossible to predict exactly what kind of winter is ahead of us, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for it.
“The most important thing to us is keeping our engineers and the public safe. Our people are out in all conditions and in very remote and rural areas, whether they’re fixing and maintaining the network or building new full fibre connections.
“I’d urge anyone who’s vulnerable to let their broadband company know, so they can be prioritised during repairs. It’s not always possible due to the way the network works, but we’ll do our best.”
Conversation