ANGRY BT customers in a small Herefordshire hamlet, increasingly frustrated by an "unreliable and extremely slow" communications' service, believe their rural location is putting them at the end of the queue.

Senior IT consultant Craig Gardner, a former BT engineer, claims that BT has "no intent, interest or motivation" to replace a damaged cable at Halmonds Frome, near Bishops Frome as it serves a tiny community of just 20.

Mr Gardner, who also coaches at Bromyard Rugby Club, argues that despite repeated complaints to BT, ongoing problems of "call drops and very slow broadband speed" have continued. He has turned to social media in “desperation, and claims to have gathered 300 hits on his LinkedIn article.

Aware that locals depend on broadband for work, shopping and paying bills, Mr Gardner plans to inspect the cable for himself. After an earlier check by a BT engineer, he was told the cable was “error free”. Fibre optics would be available at his own cost, he heard.

"I have severe doubts this would work as the last mile to our house still comes down the faulty last mile of cable," he said. "We have reached an impasse. I have told BT I will do their job for them and climb a ladder to take pictures where trees have damaged the cables."

He continued: "I am doing this out of frustration because BT simply has no intent, interest or motivation to act professionally. Due to the small numbers of customers, the return on investment is not there.”

Mr Gardners' wife Sara’s Open University degree is hampered, while their sons, 17-year-old Sam, studying A-levels at Hereford Sixth Form College, and Burley Gate primary school pupil Thomas, 10, face similar difficulties.

A BT spokesperson said: “We have spent a great deal of time trying to resolve the situation for Mr Gardner. Engineers have thoroughly tested the overhead cable and found no issues or faults. We’ve also offered a further engineer visit to look at issues raised around telephone calls as we’re keen to get this resolved.

“The customer is aware that fibre broadband is available and this would substantially increase his broadband speed.”