Some phones still off

AROUND 30 households in Vidlin and on the island of Yell are still without phones, one week after a spectacular thunderstorm created havoc with the communication network.

Some customers have said BT was slow in keeping them informed as to the progress of repairs, but the company said on Friday that all available engineers were working to fix the faults.

A BT spokesman said: “Shetland suffered considerably as a result of the electrical storms at the weekend, with Vidlin, Mid Yell and Gutcher suffering the brunt of the damage.

“Around 30 faults remain to be tackled, mostly in these areas. Every available engineer has been working flat out so that we can reach everyone affected as quickly as possible, and work will continue throughout the weekend and into next week in order to clear the backlog.

“Openreach (a BT company) would like to thank islanders for their patience and ask them to bear with us as lightning damage is notoriously difficult to repair.

“It can cause multiple faults on an individual line, so clearing the damage can involve a painstaking process of elimination. Engineers can only clear one fault at a time before finding the others further along the line.”