Embargoed to 0001 Monday July 26 File photo dated 10/06/10 of a BT phone box. Telecoms giant BT today launched a drive to target thieves who steal cables in the face of a big increase in the crime fuelled by surging scrap copper prices. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Monday July 26, 2010. BT's Openreach Division has started to use SmartWater, an invisible solution which forensically tags thieves, staying on their skin for up to 60 days. See PA story INDUSTRY BT. Photo credit should read: Tim Ireland/PA Wire

A faulty underground cable has left residents of a Norfolk village with only sporadic access to phone and internet services for nearly three weeks.

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The problems were first reported to telecommunications firm BT on January 7 when villagers in Fersfield Road, South Lopham started experiencing patchy access to their phone lines, which would come and go.

One South Lopham resident, who did not wish to be named, said she lost her internet connection on a regular basis, but believed this was linked to general slow running services for broadband connections in the south Norfolk area.

Jennie Vere, who lives in neighbouring North Lopham, said repeated calls had been made to BT to take action over the situation, but as yet nothing had been done.

She added one elderly resident had received help from a nearby friend because she had been without a phone since the start of the month and called for mobile phones to be provided for those without lines.

“Other homes in the road have had some intermittent connections, but with massive on line interference at the times when contact has been made,” she added.

However, BT spokesman Emma Littlejohn said the problem was a fault in an underground cable which had affected 11 homes and engineers had been delayed in starting work because of the time needed to get permission from Norfolk County Council to start digging up the road.

However, she said they would be going out today and tomorrow to start the work.

“The cable is not completely destroyed, it is just damaged which means unfortunately some days it is working and others it isn’t. It is basically developing a fault that is getting worse and worse and that is why we decided to come in as soon as we could and put in the new cable,” she said.

The road will be closed to allow the work to be called out and customers are advised to consult their phone service provider to see if they are entitled to compensation.