Thousands Left Without Internet After Contractor Severs Cables Near Liverpool Exchange

Margaret Foster was in the middle of an online banking transaction when her broadband connection suddenly died. Twenty-four hours later, the 58-year-old Maghull resident is still offline, along with thousands of other customers across northern Liverpool.

"I thought it was just my router playing up," Foster said. "Then my neighbour knocked on the door asking if our internet was down too. Turns out half the street is affected."

The widespread outage began Tuesday afternoon when a construction contractor working near the BT Maghull exchange accidentally severed a major underground cable bundle. The damage has left customers primarily in the L31 postcode area and surrounding neighbourhoods scrambling for connectivity.

Critical Infrastructure Damaged

The cables sit directly adjacent to the Maghull exchange, a key telecommunications hub serving the northern reaches of Liverpool and parts of Merseyside. The location of the damage has complicated repair efforts.

Local business owner David Chen said the outage has brought his small accounting firm to a standstill. "We're completely cloud-based now. No internet means no work," Chen explained. "I've had to send three staff members home. We're losing about £800 a day while this drags on."

The affected area extends well beyond Maghull itself. Customers in neighbouring communities have reported similar problems, suggesting the damaged infrastructure serves a substantial geographical footprint.

Repair Timeline Unclear

Engineers have been working around the clock to restore service, but the scale of the damage means repairs will take time. The contractor reportedly cut through multiple cables simultaneously, requiring extensive splicing and testing work.

"They've got tents up and generators running," said Tom Williams, who lives two streets from the exchange. "I walked past last night around 11pm and there were still engineers working under floodlights. You can tell it's a big job."

Telecommunications providers have not issued a specific timeline for full restoration. The complexity of repairing buried cable infrastructure means estimates can shift as engineers assess the full extent of damage.

Sarah Jacobs, a freelance graphic designer working from her Maghull home, said the lack of clear information has been frustrating. "I've got deadlines. I've had to go sit in coffee shops to upload files, but that's not exactly a professional workspace."

Business Impact Mounting

The outage has hit local businesses particularly hard. With many companies now dependent on cloud services and digital payment systems, even temporary connectivity loss can prove costly.

The Maghull Pharmacy reported problems processing electronic prescriptions. "We can still dispense medication, but everything takes three times longer when we can't access patient records digitally," a staff member explained.

Retail businesses using card payment terminals connected via broadband have had to switch to mobile networks or revert to cash-only operations. Several shops displayed handwritten "Cash Only" signs Wednesday morning.

Third-Party Contractor Responsibility

The incident highlights ongoing challenges with protecting underground telecommunications infrastructure from accidental damage during construction work. Third-party contractors conducting roadworks or excavation projects are responsible for checking the location of buried cables before digging.

Industry regulations require contractors to consult utility maps and sometimes conduct surveys before breaking ground. Despite these precautions, cable strikes remain a common cause of service disruptions across the UK.

"You'd think in 2026 we'd have better systems to prevent this," said Andrew Morrison, whose home office has been offline since Tuesday. "There must be records showing exactly where these cables run. How does this still happen?"

The contractor involved has not been publicly identified. Investigations into how the cable strike occurred typically take place after service restoration.

Customer Compensation Questions

Affected customers are already raising questions about compensation for lost service. UK regulations generally entitle broadband customers to refunds when service interruptions exceed certain thresholds.

Under Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme, broadband providers must pay £8.06 per day for each full day without service after the initial two days. However, exemptions apply when damage is caused by third parties outside the provider's control.

"I pay £35 a month for broadband I can't use," said Jennifer Walsh, a Maghull teacher who relies on internet access for lesson planning. "Someone needs to be accountable for this mess."

Customers with Ethernet connections serving businesses face potentially larger impacts. These dedicated business-grade services typically cost substantially more than residential broadband and often underpin critical operations.

Network Vulnerability Exposed

The incident has exposed the vulnerability of telecommunications networks to physical damage at key points. When cables near major exchanges are severed, the ripple effects can affect thousands of customers simultaneously.

Network infrastructure typically includes redundancy to route traffic around failures, but physical damage to primary cables still causes disruption during repair periods.

"This is why diverse routing matters," explained network consultant Robert Taylor. "If all your cables run through one trench and someone digs through it, everyone goes dark at once."

Mobile Networks Strained

With fixed broadband down, many residents have turned to mobile data as a stopgap. Local mobile networks have experienced higher than normal traffic as customers tether phones or use mobile hotspots.

"My phone bill is going to be enormous this month," said university student Emma Price. "I've blown through my data allowance in two days trying to keep up with coursework."

Some customers reported slower mobile speeds, likely due to increased congestion as more users shifted to cellular networks simultaneously.

Telecommunications providers have urged patience as repair work continues. Engineers are working systematically to restore service, with priority given to critical services and businesses where possible. The full restoration timeline depends on the extent of damage discovered as repair work progresses, with some customers potentially facing several more days offline.