THE number of people whose phone lines have been affected by flooding has got bigger.

The Worcester News has received calls from residents living across the city who are experiencing problems with their landlines after we exclusively revealed how hundreds of telephone users in Claines were receiving each others phone calls and using other people's internet connections.

It is believed that up to 2,000 phone lines were affected at one point after British Telecom engineers worked quickly to repair damaged cables in torrential rain on Friday, July 20.

That number is now down to about 400, but the crossed wires mean some people cannot make outgoing phone calls while others cannot receive calls.

However, about 100 telephone lines in Dines Green, Worcester, have also been affected by cables damaged in the recent floods, while people living in Kempsey are also experiencing problems.

Olive Cook, of Dines Green, said she knew residents living in Hawkins Close, Broadway Grove and Tudor Way whose phone lines have been affected one way or another.

She said she has had to take her daughter's calls for her because her landline has not been working since Saturday, July 21.

"Engineers have been down nearly every day working on cabinets at the side of the road," she said.

"There were three vans down by the one in Broadway Grove with massive wires hanging out."

A BT spokeswoman confirmed there are problems with phone lines in Dines Green and Kempsey.

"The problems here have also been caused by flooding," she said. "This time at a cabinet in Bromyard Road junction with Broadway Grove. Again our engineers are working as quickly as they can to restore service, but this is a complicated and time consuming job.

"Kempsey has also been affected by flooding. We are working to restore service, but the cabinet was totally flooded and is being rebuilt. The number of customers out here is in the tens."

She said engineers are working very hard in difficult conditions to restore customers lines as quickly as possible. However, concerns have been raised about who will pay the phone bills of those affected while others want to know whether there will be compensation. Anybody with a complaint is being urged to contact BT's customer services.