KCOM Fibre Engineers Volunteer to Help Build New Water Supply

Engineers working for Hull-based UK ISP KCOM have taken time out of their efforts to deploy a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network in order to help dig the trench for a new water supply in the East Yorkshire town of Nafferton, which is being used to serve new allotments at the Nafferton Recreation Club.

At present the operator is busy with a major £100m expansion of their gigabit-capable “full fibre” network across more of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. At the last update they were busy working in locations such as Driffield, Market Weighton, Nafferton, Withernsea, Hornsea, Pocklington, Howden and Goole (here).

However, in an unusual development, KCOM’s engineers were volunteered to help resolve an awkward problem. Members of Nafferton Recreation Club asked the operator if they could help to connect a water supply to their new allotments, which were located in a field away from the club’s supply. Sadly, due to the lockdown, they had been was unable to find a contractor to dig the 300m trench needed to lay the pipes.

Luckily, four KCOM engineers who were laying fibre broadband cables nearby were happy to help out by volunteering their time and equipment to dig the trench. The work took 5 days to complete.

Tim Shaw, MD of KCOM Wholesale & Networks, said:

“I’m glad we were able to step in and lend a hand to a project that will improve the lives of people in Nafferton. As a local company at the heart of the East Riding community this is the sort of project we love to get involved in.

It shows we can react quickly to help our local communities – we’re not some faceless company based miles away, but we live, work and raise our families here too.

I’m looking forward to hearing about how the allotments are progressing.”

End.