A PETITION has been launched by unhappy Thornhill residents for the removal of “unnecessary” telegraph poles.

Residents of Ellis Road and Hinton Crescent created the petition to rally against the installation of the poles by broadband provider toob.

The petition has been signed by over 40 people.

Work in both areas began the week starting October 11, but residents claim that they received no consultation from toob prior to the installation of the poles.

Hinton Crescent resident Hannah Munday, 29, said: “We have put together the petition and will be sending it to toob along with an objection letter and other supporting information in the hope that they remove the unnecessary telegraph poles.

“There aren’t any existing telegraph poles, street lighting is minimal and the housing is made up solely of bungalows and two-storey homes so the lack of high rise buildings such as flats and tower blocks along with the low frequency of street furnishings means that the telegraph poles stick out as an eyesore.

“For some people the nuisance is purely having the aesthetics of the area ruined but the way in which some poles have been installed mean that they are actually causing obstructions and safety issues to some of our more vulnerable residents.

"This is a health and safety issue as well as an obstruction.

“They (toob) have been very underhand in how they have gone about the installation.”

Pier Maria Biagiolini, 26, who lives in Ellis Road, has also voiced his concerns about the telegraph poles.

He said: “We should have had a discussion about what is going on. None of this would have happened if toob had spoken to us.

“The ultimate target for us would be to have the fibre installed underground instead. toob is a very good offer and I would sign up today if it was installed underground – I would be the first subscriber.

“This affects everybody who lives up this road.”

In response to the petition, a toob spokesperson said: “Before erecting new poles, we wrote to all residents in the area explaining what we are doing and the benefits our service will bring.

“I can confirm that one of our brand ambassadors delivered individually addressed letters to just over 100 homes in the Thornhill area where we are deploying new poles, prior to their installation.

“While erecting the new poles, it became evident that some of the residents were unhappy with the work and we paused the deployment. During the deployment, it was found that due to existing services in the footway, one of the poles on Hinton Crescent needed to be placed a little further from the inside of the footway than usual, this nonetheless met all our statutory requirements for clearance.

“Following residents’ feedback and even though this pole is compliant with the statutory regulation, we have agreed to remove the pole in question as soon as possible.

“I would recommend that your readers contact us directly at helpdesk@toob.co.uk if they have any questions or comments about our work.”