Couple at war with Virgin Media over broadband cabinet 'on their land'

by · Mail Online

A couple has become embroiled in a row with Virgin Media after they found workers installing a large broadband cabinet 'on their property'.

Paul Skinner and his fiancée Gemma Parker claim internet equipment has been illegally put on their land outside their front gate in Deal, Kent, claiming deeds to their house show the strip of paved land belongs to them.

The couple claim they were not asked for permission by Virgin Media or its partner Nexfibre - and have vowed to continue challenging the companies until the gray box is removed.

Mr Skinner, 42, also accused workers of creating a safety hazard while installing the cabinet by digging a hole and telling his fiancée, who is pregnant, to simply 'climb over it'. This, he says, was 'terrible' and could have ended in tragedy.

Highways authority Kent County Council (KCC) says it is investigating the situation but added that 'a permit was submitted and granted for the works on publicly maintained land'.

Meanwhile, Virgin Media has also said it is looking into Mr Skinner's complaints - but it too said the correct permissions were obtained.

Paul Skinner and his fiancée Gemma Parker are embroiled in a row with Virgin Media after they found workers installing a broadband cabinet outside their front wall
Mr Skinner, 42, claims that in installing the box, workers dug a hole which they told his pregnant partner to simply 'climb over'
'They also put the box right in front of our hedge,' Mr Skinner said. 'I was out trimming it one day and got told by a worker to stop. I was fuming'

Mr Skinner disputes this as he claims the spot where the cabinet was placed falls within his property's boundary.

He is now insisting that the cabinet be removed from outside his home, saying: 'It's an absolute chaos storm. I'm going to keep fighting and fighting this.

'I just don't want other people to deal with this. I don't want these companies to get away with it.'

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Mr Skinner claims that the work started without him or Ms Parker being notified.

He said: 'We came in to find our access to our house was basically blocked off and they were digging a hole.

'Workers then told my fiancée, who's pregnant, to climb over the hole, which is a safety issue. If she fell and we lost the baby, it would have been terrible.'

The father-to-be, who works as a chef, continued: 'It's a joke.

'They then put a board across the hole for us to walk across but had to keep moving the fencing out of the way every time we went to and from our house.

'They also put the box right in front of our hedge so it meant I couldn't trim it.

'I was out trimming it one day and got told by a worker to stop. I was fuming at that point, being told what I could do on my own property.

'I kept saying I was not happy with it, it needed to be moved, and every time I got told "tough".'

A sign stuck on the cabinet reads: 'To all contractors, no work is to be done here until the dispute is rectified. This was placed on private property'
However, Virgin Media, which is looking into Mr Skinner's complaints, said the correct permissions were obtained

A few days after the workers first arrived on July 8, Mr Skinner was speaking to his parents, who previously owned the house.

'My dad was 99 per cent sure that the section of land is still mine,' Mr Skinner said.

His parents told him to check the deeds to see whether the cabinet had been built on his land - and he is now convinced that it was.

The homeowner added that his biggest concern now is that these cabinets are being installed all around Deal - and it could happen to someone else.

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He said: 'I just feel at this point, these large companies need to actually be held accountable.

'Not everyone might think to check their deeds to see if it's on their land. It may only be a bit of land, but it's the principle, that people think they can just take what's not theirs.

'I just don't want other people to deal with this, and I don't want these companies to get away with it.'

A Virgin Media spokesperson said: 'We recently installed a cabinet on Church Lane as part of our investment in the region to bring our ultrafast broadband to Deal, and we had the necessary permits in place to carry out this work.

'We are investigating a resident's claim that the cabinet was installed on his private property.

'While this has not yet been confirmed, we will take appropriate action if this is found to be the case.'

Meanwhile, KCC said that after inspecting the site, it determined that no damage had been caused to Mr Skinner's land.

Mr Skinner has sworn: 'I'm going to keep fighting and fighting this'

A council spokesperson said: 'Following a complaint received from the resident that the utility company damaged the carriageway, KCC inspectors visited the site and found no damage had been caused by Nexfibre's works.

'KCC has no responsibility for works carried out by utility companies, and inquiries or complaints about them must be taken up with the utility company directly.

'While we didn't - and couldn't - give permission for any work on private land, a permit was submitted and granted for the works on publicly maintained land.

'This included out-of-hours work with three-way lights set up as a road crossing on Church Meadows.

'A condition of the permit was that Dover District Council's environmental health team were to be notified, which they were.'

Nexfibre has also been contacted for comment.