VILLAGERS are becoming increasingly frustrated with BT after a communication breakdown hit residents.

The village hall in Charlton Down has been without a broadband connection for three weeks and a number of residents have experienced phone and internet failures recently.

Trustee of Herrison Hall Vincent Haslam said the broadband connection at the site had been unreliable since it was installed by BT in April and recently they have had no line at all.

He said he also believed 64 people had also lost phone connection when a hub in the village experienced problems last week and he knew of 25 residents who had lost their internet.

Mr Haslam explained that Charlton Down was on a different internet system to the surrounding area, with a series of ‘de-slam cabinets’ around the village providing internet to homes rather than a connection to the Dorchester exchange.

He said the village’s long-awaited broadband connection was introduced using this system after it proved a success in Aberdeen.

However, Mr Haslam said since the hall signed up to BT in April it has experienced endless problems with the internet connection.

He said for the first six weeks there was no signal and when they eventually did manage to get connected the signal kept dropping.

Mr Haslam said BT sent out a new router but since that has been installed they have not had any connection and, despite six engineers visiting in the last few days, they are still not back online.

He said: “We have now gone for three-and-a-half months without a proper signal.

“This place is quite expensive to run and we take bookings from people for teaching who have been told we have got broadband.

“It’s a fair disaster all round.”

Village hall chairman and honorary secretary Crayston Lee, who lives in Deverel Road, said he had lost both internet and phone connection at his home for several days.

He said: “We had a total complete crash on the Thursday morning and the phone didn’t come back till the Monday and the internet the day after.”

Jan Rousell, who lives in Chestnut Road, said she has been without broadband for two weeks.

She said: “I’ve been on to BT everyday and it’s just driving us mad. We have got to the stage where we are going to write to head office.

“We didn’t realise how much we use it until it’s not there.”

Parish council clerk Sarah Davies said her phone was down for three days but she had not had any internet problems.

Village shop manager Ian Jones said he was aware of a number of locals who were becoming frustrated with BT.

A spokesman for BT said: “We are aware of technical systems problems which are affecting a small number of customers at Charlton Down.

“We are working to restore services to effected customers as quickly as possible.

“Any customers who has experienced problems should contact their service provider.”