Whitehill residents have endured a week-long broadband blackout, with homes in Malmesbury Road, Wellington Avenue, Dudley Close and nearby streets left with unstable or no internet since Christmas Day.

Some residents were offered unlimited mobile data by providers including Vodafone to help cope with the disruption.

Engineers restored service on Tuesday, December 30, after replacing a faulty battery, but many say connections remain intermittent.

The loss of signal over Christmas caused particular concern for elderly residents, who were cut off not only from family members trying to make contact over the holidays but also from essential services reliant on phone or internet access.

Pauline Bridgman, a local resident, said: “It came back up this morning but is very intermittent. They seem to be continually replacing batteries in the junction box.

“It’s pot luck how long we have service, and it concerns me that elderly residents without mobiles could be completely without communication, as it’s affecting our landline as well.

“They need to let everybody know what is happening, not just BT customers, as we are all being affected and have no idea when it will be fixed or what the actual issue is.”

Residents report confusion over when a permanent fix will be in place. Vodafone reportedly told one resident the problem may not be fully resolved until January 5, despite earlier assurances that repairs would be completed sooner.

However, responsibility for the network lies with Openreach, and residents who are not BT customers say they have been unable to obtain information from the company. This has led to mixed messages circulating locally, with some residents claiming the issue will be resolved by Friday, January 2.

Openreach has been approached for comment.