Broken broadband boxes cause safety concerns

A councillor has raised safety concerns about green broadband cabinets being left open on the town’s streets.

Cllr Phil Haseler (Con, Cox Green) was contacted by a resident on Thursday, February 20, after a relative – a visually impaired pensioner – stumbled over a detached Virgin Media cabinet cover in St Chads Road.

The individual was uninjured and did not wish to take the issue further, other than to bring it to the councillor’s attention.

Cllr Haseler tweeted the company with a photo and a location of the broken cabinet, then followed up four days later when he received no response.

This is not the first time the councillor has been frustrated with Virgin Media about the boxes.

“Without any question, there have been at least a dozen in the area – and I can confirm they are all Virgin,” he said.

“It seems to be an eternity before they do anything.

“In my mind, it should be a 24-hour fix.

“What happens if a young child toddling along ahead of their parents sticks their finger in there?

He added: “The one on Shoppenhangers Road has been open since December 23. It’s appalling. Absolutely appalling.”

Cllr Haseler added that he has had difficulty contacting Virgin in the past, when other green cabinets have been broken.

“I tried to get the manager to ring me, and they just sent me web links for me to follow. It’s a faceless organisation,” said Cllr Haseler.

In a statement, Virgin Media said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of some of our cabinets needing repairs.

“Over the past month we have carried out a number of repairs to our cabinets across Slough and Maidenhead, including those on St Chads Road and Shoppenhangers Road.

“We also have plans in place to carry out further repairs and general maintenance on other cabinets in the area where necessary.”