A ROW has broken out over a new high-speed internet cabinet due to be set up in Kempsey.

Residents in Brookend Lane and The Limes are concerned about the impact of a new box due to be set up by BT's infrastructure division Openreach at the junction of the two roads.

Retired engineer Tony Denny, who has lived near the junction with his wife Jane for the past 45 years, said he was concerned the five by four foot box would block the view of traffic in the area.

"I can't believe they would stick one of these big boxes in a line of sight," he said.

"It's rather large to say the least and it poses a danger to road users.

"We have had accidents here with cars sliding off the road.

"There's only so many times you can see these things about to happen."

Although the cabinet had to be approved by Worcestershire County Council as it is more than five foot high, Mr Denny said he was concerned planning officers had not given consideration to the potential traffic problems it could cause.

"The council is under pressure to whack these things through as quick as they can," he said.

He added, although the area has a 30 mph speed limit, speed checks had shown traffic sometimes travels through at speeds of up to 62 mph.

The new cabinet is part of joint project between Worcestershire County Council and BT, who are working to introduce superfast broadband throughout the county.

An Openreach spokesman said the new cabinet would allow about 100 homes in the area connect to a new high-speed fibre optic network offering download speeds of up to 80 megabits per second.

"A number of important factors are taken into account when considering where to site a fibre cabinet," she said.

"These include access to a local power supply, the proximity to the main network that it needs to connect to, the position of other organisations’ underground equipment and the local surroundings.

"The position of this cabinet meets the necessary requirements and the correct processes have been followed.

"Highways and planning officers were consulted as part of the process and confirmed that health and safety and visibility aspects were taken into consideration."