WightFibre has hit back at comments by a senior councillor questioning whether they are one of the worst utility companies in the UK.
Councillor Karl Love recently alleged he was told inspection of the works completed by WightFibre by Island Roads found there was a highway failure rate of over 90%. In Cllr Love’s ward of East Cowes, he said the figure was as high as 96%.
Island Roads declined to comment on the statistics but WightFibre said they did not recognise them and they were completely inaccurate.
John Irvine, chief executive of WightFibre, said it is disparaging for Cllr Love to describe WightFibre as he did. He said:
“WightFibre’s Gigabit Island project is delivering immense benefit to the Island through the delivery of next-generation full-fibre broadband fit for the 21st Century.
“WightFibre works closely with Island Roads to ensure all works are carried out to the required standards and these are often in excess of the standard of the footway prior to WightFibre’s work.”
At last month’s full Isle of Wight Council meeting, Cllr Love, cabinet member for adult social care and public health, asked what the authority was doing to protect the public purse, saying it would be massively impacted if the highways were not repaired properly. He said:
“Could it be possible that a 96 per cent failure rate and its improvement order, which they have been on for two years, puts them among one of the worst utility companies in the UK?
Article continues below this advertisement “My concern is to protect the PFI investment, right across the Island. What are we doing to ensure they put those highways back?”
Councillor Phil Jordan, cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said Cllr Love had answered his own question as WightFibre was on an improvement notice. He said:
“I have been to see some of the poor finishing. They are under a remedial notice to bring it up to a better standard, the standard we expect Island Roads to deliver for our money.”
The only comfort he could give Cllr Love, Cllr Jordan said, was they were trying to hold WightFibre to account.
A spokesperson for Island Roads said they were working with the council and WightFibre to ensure work met the required standard. They said:
“Work is ongoing and while there have been significant issues, we would not want to comment on the position at any one snapshot in time.”
WightFibre were also the subject of council debate 2 months ago when it was asked if they could be called before one of its scrutiny committees. The company said they would be more than willing to explain the standards they set themselves to the committee.
Cllr Love is correct, wightfibre’s supposed reinstatement of their trenches is poor together with the traffic disruption they cause.
Was it an under estimate. Time to halt this lot, causing chaos for motorists, over the last 18 months.
The councillors comments are, unfortunately, true. They cause absolute chaos wherever work is carried out, cause traffic problems, close roads and then do not finish the work in short order but leave trenches open for weeks. Finish is dreadful, locally they were sent back to improve the jointing between old and new tarmac with a strip seal which is now falling off in broken pieces. Destroyed our newly laid pavements by digging them up and leaving cement footprints along the pavement and then added insult by denying they had dug up a local telephone cable and tried to hide it by twisting the wires together and burying them.
Quite a disaster.
Seems a common thing that when Wight Fibre are around, the immediate area has power cuts. Bottom of Tulse Hill in Ventnor is a prime example, fixed the road, then it had to be dug up again and there was a huge short underground at 3am. Absolute rubbish fix there now too.
Still no answer from WF as to who was to blame for the catastrophic failure in Old Road, E Cowes,causing the whole road to be dug up again becase the cable was not laid in trunking under the road and cosequently it failed? So tell me, was the original install done to code, as WF claim for all their work? Mr Seely, please investigate.
That was originally done by a 2 bit mainland company, it was put in too shallow because of exsisting shallow services and island roads ordered it to be dug up and lowered to the correct depth.
Seems strange that all of the comments are negative and should be and wight fibre are the only ones who cant understand this, i drive about delivering daily and am constantly held up by this work, what i can not get, is the amount of time taken to dig a trench drop a cable into it and fill it in!! ie nettlestone been traffic lights up for weeks!!
In Sandown a poor lady fell because the work wasn’t filled back properly and suffered a broken wrist. The company were notified about what happened and they have done nothing about it ! They do exactly as they please how they please with no care or attention to detail. The saying ‘pay peanuts you get a monkey ‘ springs to mind !
The quality of their work has gone downhill massively.
The first work they did in Ryde is smooth, even, straight and has the edges sealed as required by industry standards.
The work they are doing now is uneven, ragged and unsealed so will probably fail very quickly.
I don’t know if they have changed contractors are are just rushing and cutting corners.
Maybe just a spot of ‘planned obselescence’ being factored in the mix.There’s a lot of it about.
Contractors have changed more than 4 times because wightfibre dont monitor the works with experienced eyes.
Do the people doing the work actually work for WF or are they contracted to do the job, if contracted they should be replaced for a company that can do a decent job. One thing, almost everyone moans about how inconvenient all the work and hold ups are but everyone wants faster better broadband, can’t have one without the other. Dr. Jollop yes i’ve driven or walked past some of the works and smelt why they have dilated pupils.
it seem’s any dangerous or poor quality work (which is most of it) is rectified by spraying the word TEMP on it,but how long is TEMP before it’s PERMANENT?
I saw one of their workers (being polite)walking around Aldi in Lake where he hadn’t mastered the art of walking without constantly scuffing his feet So asking him to master finishing a pavement
where it doesn’t look like a ploughed field
I think would be a bit of a tall order.
So, John Irvine, chief executive of WightFibre, said it is disparaging for Cllr Love to describe WightFibre as he did. He said:
“all works are carried out to the required standards and these are often in excess of the standard of the footway prior to WightFibre’s work.”
Mr Irvine is either blind, has not checked his subcontractors works or frankly does not care.
So, WF, there is no fear of my being one of your customers. For all the chaos that you cause across the island, I will opt for a lump of stone, a chisel and a hammer for my communication needs.
Most people I have spoken to do not want wightfibre , and according to friends with a business they are the most expensive.
Time our council leader, called a halt to any further works.
I believe the works are carried out under the control of central government and unfortunately the IOW Council have little or no control over what they do
I challenge John Irvine to come and inspect the work being done on Old Road. The road has been closed for two months and the standard of the “reinstatement” is an absolute disgrace. Huge gaps in the infill which means that as soon as it rains and there is a frost, the road is going to break up. Also, totally uneven work compared to the original surface that was totally resurfaced a few years ago. Schoolkids could have done better. The council should insist on this road being totally resurfaced again, at Wightfibre’s own cost.