Home   Weald   News   Article

Cable thieves leave thousands of Maidstone residents without internet

Cable thieves have left thousands of homes and businesses without phone and broadband services.

Openreach customers across Maidstone, Sutton Valance and Staplehurst have been without internet since this morning.

Cable thieves have left thousands of homes and businesses without phone and broadband services. Stock image
Cable thieves have left thousands of homes and businesses without phone and broadband services. Stock image

A spokesman said: "We are really disappointed that people in and around Maidstone and other parts of the Kent are regularly bearing the brunt of criminal behaviour.

“These attacks on our network have caused significant damage and unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people through the loss of phone and broadband services.

"This particular cable theft has impacted around 8,000 homes and businesses in Maidstone, Sutton Valance and Staplehurst.

“Our security team is working closely with Kent Police and we’ve deployed additional security measures to protect our network from future attacks.

"We’ll do our best to replace the cable, repair the damaged infrastructure and connect everyone back up again as quickly as possible."

BT Openreach is working closely with Kent Police to protect its network from future attacks. Stock image
BT Openreach is working closely with Kent Police to protect its network from future attacks. Stock image

The cable theft comes just three months after Staplehurst residents were also left without internet and broadband after a suspected arson attack.

The spokesman added: "We urge people to call 101 to report any suspicious activity to the police.

"Examples of this activity include seeing people lifting manhole lids or unusual activity around our network in fields late at night, particularly if it involves 4x4 vehicles.

"If members of the public do believe a crime is in progress then they should dial 999.

"You can find more information about what we’re doing to tackle metal theft, along with a link to report cable theft to Openreach directly here."

You can report cable theft here.

The police have been contacted for comment and it is not clear when services will be back online.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More