They wouldn't have to erect a new pole - there is already one there! - It seems that is last resort - we are trying our best to find a telephone number for the gentleman's sister. Folks who may have known have also moved away. They can also use a cherry picker! It has been suggested. I am going to call on the owner of the land the other side - the pole is in the corner of his garden too.

Do you know where he is?

If so, the staff must have a contact number to his family, possibly someone with a Power of Attorney.

They will not give you that number, as it would be illegal for them so to do, but I see no reason why they could not relay a message to that person if you give them a short one to send asking for help. Ideally include your phone number in the message.

We have a mobile number ourselves but it seems to be constantly off. Bumped into relatives (estranged) yesterday and they have an address. Asked the neighbour about the pole - it is actually in HIS garden not the absent landowner. However he had problems a while back with his broadband - and took ages to get a response - the pole leans towards the absent gentleman's property and has to be climbed from there because it wobbles! What a mess. But of course we had to investigate ourselves to find all this out - no info from Open Reach/ BT. My son now has a manager phoning him this evening so we can at least give all the information to someone who can do something about it. But I can't see anything being done this side of Christmas - that is if the land owner even bothers to respond. We so depend on our internet access these days - every thing is done on line so we are completely lost without it.

Doesn't sound like anyone should be climbing it if it wobbles! Surely it should be replaced before now if it's wobbling and leaning over...

Although maybe it is due, but hasn't been done due to the complications you've discovered yourself

If it is leaning and wobbles it will be classed as dangerous and a BT Tech will not be permitted to climb it. That means either a cherry picker if they can get close enough or a new pole. Does te pole have any labels on it?

Try raising the issue via:- http://bt.custhelp.com/app/contact_email/c/4950

This usually gets through to a UK based Team that I have found to be more responsive!

Thanks for that link - my son has been talking to people in Middlesborough and still can't get any satisfaction - he is getting handed from one person to another - got told all sorts of things. - like the manager will phone you tomorrow - what time is suitable - my son says 8 am. - no it will have to be a slot - 8-10 - wait a minute better give a second one just in case, 10-12. but if the guy in question is on the afternoon shift it may be 2-4 - etc etc - and then no-one phones. Another call said they had sent a letter to someone - my son asks who? Oh we can't tell you - in the end he gets a name out of them and the last digits of the phone number - no address - turns out this was the first engineer's name and the phone number was my son's own! I think they are just spinning out any story to keep him hanging on. There is no certainty at all that the fault is with the pole in question - only that it is 275 meters away from the house. I don't think communication between Open Reach and BT themselves is any good at all. My son still feels it is a coincidence that they haven't long added another house on our lane to the system and his line becomes faulty! He could go to another broadband provider but they would still have the same trouble getting a line.

In reply to a post by megjay:

Oh nice - a BT person! No it isn't a case of running a ladder up a pole - there is a problem with vegetation/ tree. But if it is the pole that was pointed out to me then access can be gained to the tree from the garden on the other side - I have looked at a bird's eye view of the gardens. Do you have to gain permission to go onto land before work is done? I thought legal niceties were sorted when the poles were put on the land in the first place.

Sounds like perhaps the pole hasn't been tested within the test cycle. If that's the case no one can climb it until a pole tester assesses it first and puts a label on to say it is safe to climb. If you can access the pole could you take a photo of any labels that are on it for us?

You may be able to establish who is/are the owners via the Land Registry; or less certain, use the Electoral Roll available on Find My Past-

www.findmypast.co.uk

192.com may be another route.

only that it is 275 meters away from the house.

How many spans (between the property or pole to pole) are there to the pole in question ?