Botched Openreach Broadband Install Floods Pensioner’s Kent Home

Network operator Openreach (BT) has said it’s “very sorry for the distress” after one of its engineers accidentally drilled through a water pipe during the installation of a new broadband service, which flooded the house of a 93-year-old pensioner (Dylis Forsyth) in Kent (England). Ms Forsyth ended up slipping on the wet carpet the next day and badly injuring her hand.

According to Kent Online (see for pictures), the work took place on 11th April last week, but it wasn’t long before water began to flood into the house – soaking carpets, flooring and other items on the floor. The engineer frantically tried to stop it by looking for the stopcock, but Ms Forsyth noted “it had not been turned off because it was buried under tarmac” (it’s unclear if this is a recent or historic decision).

The problem was only brought under control after a neighbour managed to tie up the ballcock in her water tank. Openreach promptly arranged for an emergency plumber to repair the pipe the same day, but by then the damage to her property had already been done. By the next day the house was starting to stink due to mould and bacteria growth within the wet floor, which was not something Ms Forsyth could tackle herself due to limited mobility.

Shortly after this the pensioner ended up slipping on the wet floor and badly injuring her hand. Dylis is now said to require daily visits from a specialist to treat her wound. In response, Openreach and retail ISP partner BT initially appeared to deflect requests for them to repair the property damage, instead suggesting that it should be billed to home insurance. But they later pledged to “resolve” the damage.

A Spokesperson for Openreach said:

“We are very sorry for the distress caused to Ms Forsyth and her family.

During planned fibre upgrade work on Friday, our engineer accidentally damaged a water pipe inside the property.

The engineer reported this immediately, and we arranged for an emergency plumber to attend the same day.

We are in direct contact with Ms Forsyth’s daughter and have arranged further repairs, with a site visit taking place on Wednesday (April 15).

Given Ms Forsyth’s age and circumstances, we have escalated this internally to make sure the right support is in place, and the home is made safe as quickly as possible.

We will continue working closely with the family until everything is resolved.”

We’ve rarely seen situations as bad as this, but they do crop up from time to time. The responsibility for repairing such damage typically rests with the network operator and Openreach has a process in place that pledges to “put it right” (here).

The operator should often then cover any reasonable costs to restore the property to its original condition (make sure to document everything and take plenty of pictures, video etc.), but in practice getting an operator to do this can sometimes be a challenge. The issue should also be reported to your retail ISP as they’re the contract holder and will manage the complaint.

However, despite the commitment, the family remains frustrated that it took media attention before Openreach seemed to act, and they’ve said they “will be pushing them to take accountability for the injuries sustained and seeking legal advice“.