WightFibre is being asked to answer to the Isle of Wight Council over the alleged ‘chaos’ it causes across the Island when installing cables.
In 2017, WightFibre was awarded £35million to build a ‘full-fibre, future proof, ultrafast broadband network’ across the UK’s first Gigabit Island. The installation began in 2018 and is looking to provide broadband speeds of 1 gigabit to 70,000 homes and businesses on the Island. However, the scheme is significantly behind schedule with several contractors coming and going from the scheme in the past 3 years.
Islanders have faced disruptions and diversions while the cables are installed and sometimes at short notice, one councillor has said. This week, in Ryde, 4-way temporary traffic lights were erected by WightFibre on a diversion route for their other works at Great Preston Road, which have fallen at the same time Smallbrook Lane is made one-way for roundabout improvements.
Asking to bring the network providers into one of the council’s scrutiny committee meetings, Councillor Michael Lilley said it was time WightFibre was brought to account on behalf of the residents of the Island.
Bosses at WightFibre said they would be more than willing to explain the standards they set themselves to the committee.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the corporate scrutiny committee, Cllr Lilley, who is also Mayor of Ryde, said he was sure all councillors had experienced the installation across the Island and ‘probably witness everyday the patchwork pavements and horrendous disorganisation’ in laying the cables. He said:
“Whole towns, like Ryde, get completely blocked up because WightFibre put diversions through areas where they are not doing work, with no real consultation with Island Roads or the highways team.”
WightFibre’s chief executive, John Irvine, however, says they are ‘fully engaged with Island Roads and work can only proceed when permitted by them’. He said:
“We do, therefore, co-ordinate closely with Island Roads. WightFibre will be happy to make this clear to the council’s scrutiny committee.
“Further, WightFibre typically reinstates our work to a higher standard of repair than the original condition of the footway or roadway. WightFibre will also be happy to make this clear to the scrutiny committee.
“If we do get approached by the Scrutiny Committee we will respond to them directly”.
Cllr Lilley said his residents had been told Island Roads would be resurfacing their area but WightFibre ‘suddenly, unannounced were digging up’ the roads, pushing back the other works by over 2 years.
The council’s director of neighbourhoods, Colin Rowland, said WightFibre was on an improvement plan but it would be good to bring Island Roads to the meeting as well to hear both sides of the story.
Cllr Phil Jordan, the cabinet member for infrastructure and transport said WightFibre would be installing cables for another couple of years, so if it took 2 or 3 months to bring them in, ‘would not make a lot of difference to the chaos it causes’.
wightfibre are so arrogant they don’t care who they inconvenience, some time ago one of their staff informed me that i to have their cable installed to my house and was legally bound to accept it, i politely informed the young man that five minutes after they installed it i would get a bolt cropper and remove it, they still fix their junction boxes to our walls without asking permission.
I had the same letter, send similar reply.
Island Roads
I thought it was Island Roads who gave approval for works to go ahead and plan road closures. Based upon current evidence, Island Roads could not organise the proverbial in a brewery. Muppets, every last one of them.
Why has it taken so long? I worked for United Artists in Edinburgh who were laying the ‘latest technology’ – fibre optics, 26 years ago. They always did say the Isle of Wight was 20 years behind, so it seems it’s actually longer! The disruption to the roads around Ryde has been simply horrendous.
We lived in Lancaster 25 years ago and they managed to get all the cables laid in 6 months by using the proper equipment including tractors pulling and laying the cables a metre underground in all the verges doing a mile a week. All the spurs were laid with almost no mess and no sign of the works after a few weeks… Perhaps they should pop down here and show them how it’s done. They are destroying our beautiful Island for something many wont even use.
Personally, I don’t believe any of the utilities along with Wight Fibre or the council communicate with each other, it’s a total mess…
Typical blame game from the council. Just because they issued a contract to someone without any kind of stipulations as to how the work was carried out, they apparently feel they are blameless for the disruption being caused. Well here’s some news for you – you are the ones who have caused the problems by your own ineptitude. Man up and accept the failure on your part…
my elderly parent got caught by these pi.. taking idiots too.they were doing his road where they kept using his water!his landlord foolishly agreed they could use some stored water wheelie bins but they then took it upon themselves too come intoo his garden and empty his water butts without asking! then too continue job out in road kept coming back…only too try dads outside tap! cheeky twts .good job he had sense too remove tap then lol.and for over a week his driveway was blocked but dad was too polite too moan sadly.they’re a law untoo themselves those wightfibre
those road blockages in ryde need too ONLY be when they ACTUALLY START!
Think Wight fibre and island roads need to looked in to I haven’t seen much work carried out at small brook no wonder it’s going to take so long these both need to work together simple
Not any better with customers. It’s a diabolical company.
That I can not agree with, I have only ever had good, polite and prompt service whenever I have had an issue.
Agreed. After experiencing Virgin’s nightmare of an overseas call centre and non-existent customer service, I can’t fault WF in any way.
Wight Fibre are a butch of cowboys. Despite being shown how the machine worked to detect underground cables,they still managed to cut mains cable and blackout surrounding household. Why, they didn’t bother using the machine first, the island pavements look dreadful.
Further, WightFibre typically reinstates our work to a higher standard of repair than the original condition of the footway or roadway. WightFibre will also be happy to make this clear to the scrutiny committee.
Has he walked the paving slabs in Newport town centre they lifted? Uneven is smooth to how they were put back down , they have been back to re do some and it’s shocking .
Perhaps this chap should meet with residents not councilors
Destroyed my driveway without landlords permission/knowledge. Made them come back and fix it. Photo evidence if the council want to use it
How about the general public call in the council for all the chaos they are causing, sounds more plausible to me… hypocrites.
Wightfibre are just terrible (being polite).
Have a free license to cause as much chaos and mayhem as they like when they like.
Leave the pavements looking like the Somme Trenches, then come along with a black line tape they heat on,which peels off as soon as the workers leave,When to work in residential area’s late at night,They are shouting,think they have a competition to see who can throw their plastic barriers down flat and make the loudest noise ! Not to mention the unsightly Big White boxes. Electricity,Water companies are essential utilities who have to cause disruption occasionally. But Wightfibre are not one of these companies!
Why have Wightfibre got away with this for so long? Everyone has a story to tell about them intimidating householders and falsely claiming they have the right to lay cables on private land, even saying if home owners plant trees/bushes they have the right to dig them up in the future!. Unfortunately some people do not know their rights and Wightfibre have taken advantage by blatantly lying to them. They have ripped up pavements and generally cause chaos wherever they go. It’s about time their practices are investigated.
All this disruption to install a system of ducts under our roads. But a system already exists which could if they were prepared to negotiate with the present owner be used. BT in other parts of the country have shared their ducting system and minimised disruption, speeded up installation and cut the cost to the end user.
Almost true, up until Ofcom got involved recently Openreach would not allow other companies to use their infrastructure. Openreach does not look after existing infrastructure, it’s blocked, damaged, or full because they don’t recover old unused cables.
They are doing a great job and people are always going to moan. There has to be a disruption for progress to be made.
What Cllr Lilley claims seems to be at odds with what WF are saying.
For one thing our footpath is in a better state with the WF tarmac finish than the original.
But I agree that the 4-way lights at one end of GPR and the 1-way closure of Smallbrook Lane at the other is an unmitigated and completely avoidable omnishambles!
How dare they bring us up to date for once. We should all get our pitchforks out and stay in 1950.
To be fair, I love that chaos. East Cowes is so quiet when road is blocked. Could we keep these roads as pedestrian-priority and optionally allow vehicles for services and disabled people?
THE PROBLEM CAUSED BY WIGHTFIBRE ARE NO GREATER THAN THOSE CAUSED BY I.O.W. HIGHWAYS
I was sent a wayleave letter informing me that I would have the service installed and accepted that the company would have the right to enter my property for any works required after installation and that building works on or near to their equipment would not be permitted – the wayleave had to be signed and returned in agreement.
I sent the paperwork back stating that I didn’t want the service and that if they took it upon themselves to put a junction box/cabling or carry out any works on my property/land I would see them in court.