BT Openreach has issued repair work delay warnings across southern England as April’s record-breaking wet weather continues into May.
Openreach, which manages BT’s UK telephone and broadband networks, has issued Matters Beyond Our Control (MBORC) alerts for 12 of its 73 regions this week.
England is still facing 22 flood warnings and 61 flood alerts, with the Anglian and Southeast regions hit hardest, the Environment Agency said.
The affected BT Openreach areas are: Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Portsmouth, Esher, Croydon, Crayford, Southend, Ipswich, Broadlands, Luton, Lea Valley.
In a statement, BT Openreach said: “We have just come through the wettest April on record and a look outside will confirm for most that early May is looking no better.
“Having monitored the weather closely, we had expected, and therefore planned for, high repair demand this week, and so broadly this increase is in line with our forecast and plan.
“We will monitor each area very closely, our current plan aims to bring the repair stack back to BAU levels by the weekend of Friday 11 May, based on the weather forecast as it stands.”
BT Openreach added that with an average eight-day wait for repairs, it expects to be able to stay within its agreed 14-day lead time despite the May Day Bank Holiday weekend and the build-up to the Jubilee weekend.
Cover image: Highways Agency/Flickr
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