Vandals Attack Openreach’s Broadband Network in Bedminster and Chippenham

National network operator Openreach has revealed that their UK broadband and phone network suffered “malicious damage” across two separate incidents in Bedminster (District of Bristol) and Chippenham (Wiltshire) on Monday. This disrupted connectivity to local homes and businesses in the area.

Pictures from both events indicate that, in the first incident, the vandals lifted a chamber cover and then proceeded to cut several cables, both those carrying older copper line services and also modern fibre optic links. In the second case somebody appears to have cut the cables around a local telecoms (telegraph) pole. Both were highly disruptive events that have required costly and complex repairs to remedy.

Sadly, it’s not always clear why people do this. In the past we have seen cases that have been linked to a desire to disrupt nearby alarm systems, while others may have been caused by disgruntled former employees or are just pure vandalism, committed by local idiots or conspiracy loons.

Regardless of the reason, this kind of activity represents a serious criminal offence against critical infrastructure. Such criminals have no regard for the disruption they cause, which can be particularly dangerous for some vulnerable individuals (e.g. telecare users), such as those who depend upon their communication services for emergency support.

A Spokesperson for Openreach said:

“These deliberate attacks on our network have caused significant damage and unacceptable disruption for local people who rely on these services to stay connected, work, run businesses and access support.

We’re working closely with the police to support their investigations and help ensure those responsible are identified and held accountable.

A huge thank you to our engineering teams who are working tirelessly to restore service and minimise the impact on the communities we serve.

We also really appreciate the patience and support of those affected. We’re doing everything we can to get you back online as quickly as possible.”

Openreach currently has a partnership with Crimestoppers, which sometimes offers rewards for information given anonymously to the charity, particularly if it leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible – you can contact them 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use their anonymous online form. You can also contact Openreach’s security team direct or report via the local police (101). But if you see a crime like this in progress, please call the police on 999.

A number of other network operators have previously called on the UK Government and Ofcom to help tackle a rise in attacks – often committed by criminal gangs and vandals – against their vital national telecoms infrastructure and the engineers who build it (here). But little seems to have been done, although thanks to the police there has been the odd conviction (here).

Thankfully the operator’s customers have already been reconnected in Bedminster, although the scale of the damage to Openreach’s network in Chippenham will take a bit longer to fully resolve.