Residents struggled without wifi when phone lines and broadband were cut for 11 days by a car fire that police have been investigating as an arson.
John Edwards, a resident close to the blaze in Hogmoor Lane, Hurst, said households had been forced to rely for a long time on mobile phones in an area where mobile coverage was appalling.
“I had to keep driving off to knock on friends’ doors, asking to use their wifi,” he added. Four homes had been affected.
James Girdler who runs Old Things New, a metal and timber fabricating company, said: “I didn’t receive payment for three or four jobs because the people involved hadn’t even received the invoice emails I did on my phone.”
Firefighters were called to a blazing vehicle left on a grass verge in a usually quiet lane in the early hours of Valentine’s Day (Tuesday, February 14).
One resident said: “A car was heard driving past really fast. We heard crackling and saw an orange glow getting bigger and bigger.
The next day a petrol can was seen leaning against the wrecked remains of what another resident identified as a Land Rover vehicle.
The vehicle fire was so fierce it burned the telephone cables above it. Mr Girdler said the roadside hedge, which Hurst Village Society planted, was damaged by the fire.
“Mr father is going to offer to help revive it. We laid [trimmed and rejeuvenated] the hedge years ago,” he added.
After the fire Openreach said they needed to organise temporary traffic lights so their engineers could work safely to replace the overhead cable. They added: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience, and fully understand how disruptive not having internet can be.”
Residents said the repairs were made last Saturday.
Last week Thames Valley Police said: “This [fire] is being investigated as an arson, and anybody with any information should call 101, quoting reference number 43230068339.”
There has been speculation that the fire might have been connected to ram raids in the early hours of February 12 at Wokingham Superbowl in Carnival Hub at Wokingham and at Cherry Local Convenience Store at Bean Oak Road, Wokingham. There was also a raid on a Co-op store in Overdown Road, Tilehurst on Tuesday, February 14. But police were called to this at 3.40am, but this has not been confirmed by the police.
