Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 days.
Pat Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 April.
Ms Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May.
A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk."
More news stories for Gloucestershire
Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire
Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone".
"They were absolutely alarmed," she added.
She is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests.
"I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said.
"I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead."
While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress".
A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network.
"Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service."
Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic".
Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Copper wiring stolen from mobile CT scanner
Invisible marker reducing cable theft - Openreach
Openreach
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Teenager arrested on suspicion of terrorism bailed
Police have bailed a 16-year-old boy who was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. The Perranporth teenager was arrested on suspicion of dissemination of terrorist publications by counter terrorism officers, said Devon and Cornwall Police. Detectives said the boy had been released on police bail pending further enquiries. The force said a "number of searches" were going on at addresses around Perranporth and Redruth in relation to the investigation. More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Devon and Cornwall Police
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Pro-Palestinian activists say they damaged planes on a UK air force base
LONDON — British police are searching for suspects after pro-Palestinian activists claimed to have broken into a Royal Air Force Base and damaged two planes with red paint, officials said Friday. The group Palestine Action said two members entered RAF Brize Norton on Wednesday and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refueling.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to ‘bottle attack' charge
R&B singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm in an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub. The American musician, 36, is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue, a private members' club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on February 19 2023. Brown confirmed his name and date of birth before entering his plea, saying: 'Not guilty ma'am' during the plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court. His co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, who turned 39 on Friday, denied the same charge. Both defendants are further charged with assaulting Mr Diaw occasioning him actual bodily harm, with Brown also facing one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place. They were not asked to enter pleas to those charges with a further court hearing set for July 11. Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, defending Brown, told the court it has been difficult to discuss matters with her client while he is working. Around 20 people sat in the public gallery behind the dock for Friday's hearing, many of them fans of the singer. A date for a five to seven-day trial was set for October 26 2026. Brown had arrived at around 9am to a large group of photographers outside court, and walked in silence to the building's entrance. The Go Crazy singer, who was able to continue with his scheduled international tour after he was freed on conditional bail last month, performed in Cardiff on Thursday night. He had to pay a £5 million security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions. Manchester Magistrates' Court heard last month that Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and then pursued to a separate area of the nightclub where he was punched and kicked repeatedly. Brown was arrested at Manchester's Lowry Hotel at 2am on May 15 by detectives from the Metropolitan Police. He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates. Brown was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on May 21. Shortly after being released from prison, Brown posted an Instagram story referencing his upcoming tour. It said: 'FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.'
