A CABLE television company has been accused of invading a retired couple's personal space, after it drilled through their wall while they were out.

Ann and David Berry, both 72, arrived at their home in Stonyshotts, Waltham Abbey, to find that Virgin Media workers had dug around a manhole cover in front of their house, drilled a hole through the base of their front garden wall and pushed a wire through, after installing cable TV in their next door neighbours' home.

“As far as I'm concerned, it's trespassing,” said Mrs Berry. “I was so incensed. It makes you feel like you don't matter.

“We've only had a letter addressed to 'the occupier' telling us that they're in the area.”

She said Virgin had not told the couple they would be working in their garden and when she went to the company's shop in Enfield to complain, she was told to wait for two weeks to see what would happen.

“It seems these big companies can come and do what they like,” she added. “They seem to be at liberty to just go onto someone's property, which is scary.”

She added that she and her husband, who is recovering from a heart attack, were worried they would be hit with a bill for being connected to the cable network.

A Virgin Media spokeswoman said the hole had been drilled because the wrong address had been entered into the company's system.

"As soon as the Guardian brought this to our attention, we went out and removed the cable," she added. "We're also going to send some flowers to Mrs Berry as a thank you for her understanding and to apologise."