Cable Thieves Leave Village Without Broadband for Days

SHOTTON COLLIERY, Durham – Residents of this quiet County Durham village were left without internet access for nearly a week after brazen thieves targeted Openreach’s local network, stealing valuable copper cables and damaging fiber optic lines in the process.

Outage Initially Blamed on Storm

The disruption began last Friday, with many locals initially attributing the sudden loss of connectivity to the recent Storm Amy that battered the region. However, Openreach later confirmed that the true culprit was metal theft.

“We woke up Friday and had no internet,” said Sarah Thompson, 42, a work-from-home accountant. “I thought it must be the storm, but then I saw Openreach vans all over the village.”

Criminals Strike in Dead of Night

Openreach believes the theft occurred late Thursday night, with the criminals likely taking advantage of the storm as cover for their activities. The perpetrators targeted manhole covers and pulled up cables, working quickly to avoid detection.

“These gangs often hit rural areas where police response times are slower,” explained Detective Inspector John Davies of Durham Constabulary. “They can be in and out in under an hour with thousands of pounds worth of copper.”

Race to Restore Service

Once the cause was identified, Openreach engineers worked around the clock to repair the damage and get residents back online. Service was finally restored late Wednesday, five days after the initial outage.

“We’re deeply disappointed that this community is suffering the consequences of a criminal act targeting our network,” said an Openreach spokesperson. “Our team has been working tirelessly to restore service as quickly as possible.”

Gigabit Rivals Also Hit

The village is also served by alternative network providers Netomnia and Virgin Media, both of which have recently deployed gigabit-capable fiber broadband locally. Netomnia, which shares some infrastructure with Openreach, confirmed they were also impacted by the incident.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Mark Johnson, 35, who had just switched to Netomnia’s service a month ago. “You pay for fast, reliable broadband and then something like this happens.”

Residents Left Reeling

For many in the village, the prolonged outage was more than just an inconvenience. Those working from home were forced to take time off or find alternative workspaces, while students struggled to keep up with online assignments.

“My daughter is in university and had deadlines this week,” said Olivia Brown, 51, a single mother. “We had to drive into Durham every day so she could use the library’s wifi. It’s been a nightmare.”

Local businesses were also hit hard, with the village’s small shops and cafes unable to process card payments or take online orders. The owner of the local pub estimated he lost over £5,000 in revenue due to the outage.

Fighting Back Against Cable Theft

Cable theft has become an increasingly common problem in recent years, driven by the high price of copper and the ease with which criminals can sell it for scrap. Openreach has reported thousands of similar incidents across the UK, with repairs costing millions of pounds annually.

To combat the issue, the company has introduced new security measures, including a forensic liquid marker called SelectaDNA that allows stolen cables to be traced back to their origin. They are also working closely with law enforcement to catch those responsible.

“We urge people to report any suspicious activity around our network to the police,” said the Openreach spokesperson. “These crimes have a real impact on communities and we’re determined to stop them.”

Looking to the Future

For the residents of Shotton Colliery, the outage has been a stark reminder of just how dependent modern life is on reliable internet access. Many are now calling for increased investment in the village’s digital infrastructure to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“We need a more resilient network,” said Parish Council leader David Evans. “This has been a wake-up call. We can’t allow criminals to leave our community cut off like this again.”

With the rollout of full fiber broadband gathering pace across the UK, there is hope that such disruptions will become a thing of the past. But for now, the village is left counting the cost of the theft and looking to rebuild.