WORK to replace stolen cables which had knocked out phone lines throughout St Johns is complete.

Openreach engineers left St Johns on Sunday afternoon with many residents having gone without landline phones or broadband since Tuesday (November 12).

The service provider had drafted in engineers from neighbouring areas due to what was described as a "big job" which was "made all the more difficult due to the weather", said a spokesman.

Some households were reconnected by Thursday, with engineers working round the clock despite widespread flooding.

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Earlier in the week, two underground cables were cut and stolen, reportedly affecting 2,000 lines in the Worcester ward.

On Thursday, an Openreach spokesman told us: "We are working as quickly as we can do to restore service following the damage to our network.

"It’s a complicated and time-consuming task, but our engineers are making good progress and some people are already re-connected. We’re hopeful that everyone will be back up and running by Sunday at the latest."

The spokesman had previously described the thefts as "really disappointing" and added Openreach are working closely with Crimestoppers.