GUARDIANS of the New Forest are refusing to take the blame for delays in the installation of super-fast broadband.

The Verderers have hit back at recent criticism, claiming the hold-ups are being caused by the “dysfunctional” approach being taken by BT and Hampshire County Council.

Official Verderer Dominic May said the two organisations were looking for a convenient scapegoat for what he described as bad project management.

His comments follow remarks made by county councillors and other supporters of rural broadband.

Mr May said: “The delay is with BT, which seems to be operating at a glacial pace to expedite this important project, and with Hampshire County Council which is supposed to be co-ordinating the project – very badly in my opinion.

“I personally arranged for a broadband cabinet to be sited on private land at the Bell Inn at Brook.

“That was at the beginning of November. Six months later the cabinet has still not been installed.”

Mr May said BT was using a company called Harlequin to submit planning applications for cabinets and added: “Every single application for a cabinet inside the perambulation (of the Forest) has shown it to be in the wrong place.

“It’s not for me to say where the problem lies but it is certainly not with the Verderers.”

Speaking at the monthly Court of Verderers in Lyndhurst, Mr May said the Verderers and other organisations were invited to attend a site visit at Buckler’s Hard, part of the Beaulieu Estate.

He added: “BT had not bothered to arrange for the attendance of anyone from the Estate, so we couldn’t make a decision.

“And BT has not invited us to a new site visit in the intervening six weeks.”

Mr May also referred to recent meetings of Beaulieu and Burley parish councils, saying the Verderers had been unfairly blamed for broadband delays.

“We support the roll out of rural broadband and would like BT and the county council to get on with it,” he said.

“Their conduct in this process is entirely dysfunctional. It’s a scandal of bad project management by both organisations, and I am using the court today to set the record straight. The Verderers are not to blame.”

A county council spokes-man said: “Rolling out the programme in the New Forest is more complex than other areas of Hampshire.

“This is because locations cannot compromise grazing land and must be within 50m of the existing green cabinets, in line with the absolute requirements of the Verderers. The technical aspects of installation rest with BT, who are working hard to find locations.”

A BT spokesman was unavailable for comment.