BT street broadband cabinet angers Sutton resident

A Sutton resident has hit out at BT for failing to move a street cabinet in front of her house that she claims is devaluing the property.

Retired animation artist Wendy Russell got in touch with the council after BT Openreach engineers began installing the cabinet in December 2010, reports the Sutton Guardian.

The equipment was fitted in order to bring the telecoms giant's fibre optic broadband service to local residents and businesses.

According to Mrs Russell, the cabinet - which is two feet higher than the wall it is positioned in front of - obstructs the view from her front window and has also reduced the value of her home.

Furthermore, she insisted the contractors who fitted the device had damaged her wall during the installation process.

"The worst part is at the side of my house, I have a much higher brick wall which would have been a perfect place to site the cabinet," the 76-year-old added.

Last year, community organisation Civic Voice launched a campaign demanding that BT considers the impact its equipment can have on the beauty of an area.

It said many of the broadband boxes are unnecessarily intrusive, inflexibly designed and poorly located.