Whose responsibility?

The BT cable to our house is buried in the front garden, and on the wall at the fron of the house it pops up from under the ground on to a wall mounted junction box. From there, a cable (loose!) comes into the house through a hole drilled by the front door and into some sort of socket in the hall. Now, I noticed this morning as I was leaving that it looks like the local fox has been nibbling at this cable and although it has gone through the white outer cable, the wires inside appear to be intact. If Freddie comes back and finishes the job this will obviously knock out our voice and broadband.
Who is responsible for this bit of cable? Me or Openreach?

Regards,
Steve

the master socket NTE5 is usually the BT demarcation point, so it is likely to be theirs.

That's what I forgot to say, the house is 80's vintage and doesn't have an NTE5 master socket.

Regards,
Steve

Still usually the junction box or first socket in the property that is the demarkation point

So the fact that it is outside means that it should be down to Openreach to fix it if it gets nibbled all the way through? I was just wondering if the junction box on the outside wall of the house would be the end of their responsibility.

Regards,
Steve

I think anything outside is certainly their problem unless you damage it personally (shooting at the fox and missing for example). As you are not supposed to tinker in the back of the master then inside up to that would seem to be theirs too imo.

Could be an old style NTE point - but whichever era it is from the Network Termination Equipment is the demarcation point.

As for fox - probably not. Rat or mouse is more likely.

Or was it you with a strimmer?

edit to add

You could get some galvanised steel capping from an electrical wholesaler (or B&Q) and put your own protection over the cable. When painted it will blend in quite well and stops rodent or accidental damage by tou.

Edited by MHC (Thu 24-Jul-08 22:42:13)

Definitely not me, the part that has been nibbled is on the step right outside the front door.
I'm suspecting the fox as we have an adult pair and a few cubs living in the near vicinity, we quite often hear them outside the front door, and they will even come up the deck right to the patio door onto the back garden. That, and the fox poo we often have to clean up off the path to the front door

Regards,
Steve

It will be PVC and foxes aren't known to go for it but rodent do. You may well be right, but look at the size of the tooth marks.

Irrespective of which, get Openreach in, tell them you can see the inner conductors wires and when they have finished, as I suggested, put some capping over. Yes you may have to do it yourself but it will save you calling again and again.

it's all theirs if there isn't an NTE5.