HOUSEHOLDS in Wyke Regis lost their phone lines after a car hit a telegraph pole.

An elderly man driving a grey Volvo estate collided with a telegraph post on Portland Road at 9pm on Monday.

The man was not hurt in the collision but was left shocked by the incident.

The telegraph post was left hanging from its base by its wiring.

Police attended the scene and closed one lane of the road for a couple of hours while BT secured the telegraph pole.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: “We received a call from a man on a mobile to say an elderly gentleman had collided with a telegraph pole on Portland Road.

“The elderly man was shocked but otherwise all right and suffered no injuries.”

He added: “The road was cut down to one lane while technicians from the phone company looked at it and made it secure.

“The vehicle was recovered at 11pm and at that time a number of residents south of Portland Road were left without phone lines.”

A spokesman for BT, said: “The service to around 15 houses was affected. A road closure will be necessary to carry out a permanent repair.”