Help to keep the Highlands online over winter

COMMUNICATIONS provider Openreach is asking for the public to keep an eye out to help them keep the north online this winter.

Fraser Rowberry, Openreach’s service delivery director in Scotland, said: “We urge anyone to alert us if they spot any damage to our network, like dangling cables or broken poles, so we can crack on with repairs. When mother nature does come calling, we’ll be as ready and prepared as we can be to fight back.”

Openreach, which provides the biggest telephone and broadband network in the UK, serving more than 31.8 million premises, has taken on board the lessons learned from dealing with extreme conditions during recent years, and invested in huge amounts of winter weather equipment so its engineers can remain on the road.

So far the seasonal shopping list includes: 62,000 kilos of rock salt; 1700 snow shovels; 3400 ice and snow grips for footwear; 3500 sets of snow socks for van tyres; 20,000 litres of screenwash; and 20,000 de-icer sprays.

“It’s impossible to predict what kind of winter we’re going to have, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for the worst. Our engineers are out and about in all conditions." Mr Rowberry said.

“Making sure they have access to the latest winter weather kit is not only important to help them do their job, but also essential to make sure they can stay safe, particularly in snow and ice. Our network covers some of the most remote places in the Highlands so this is really important to us."

As well as stocking up on supplies, Openreach has a strong focus and investment in locations which have proved susceptible to storms and wild weather in recent winters. A fleet of 4x4 vehicles is strategically placed around the UK, including the Highlands, to reach isolated and extremely rural communities quickly.

The winter readiness plans are being supported by a record level of recruitment. Across Scotland, around 3200 people are employed by Openreach, most of them engineers, with around 600 new engineers recruited in the last two years.

Anyone spotting any damage to the Openreach network following bad weather this winter, like loose, snapped or dangling cables, damaged telephone poles or missing manhole covers, can report it by visiting the Openreach website and using the reporting damage or safety problems page, or by calling 0800 023 2023.

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