As Zarjaz says. There are lots of such installations around, from before the current NTE5 existed. Even though the old master may now have an NTE5 it doesn't necessarily mean the star wiring was removed.
This is also one of the reasons a real Openreach engineer is much better for the job than a contractor. The OR guy will almost always sort it out. A contractor will run away fast as they don't get paid for that.
The indispensable man or woman passes from the scene, and what happens next is more or less the same thing as was happening before.
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