Losing broadband in storm cost us £9,000

PUBLICANS Kevin Lole, 65, and Kirsty Brown, 50, who run the only local in Stoke Abbott, lost roughly £9,000 in earnings when they were forced to close due to poor connectivity.

- Sam Stevenson

The proprietors of the New Inn in the West Dorset village had to shut when the community went without broadband for 11 days due to a fallen tree following a storm in February 2022.

Stoke Abbott's main broadband fibre cable sits on a hedge down Norway Lane, which is steep, narrow and heavily wooded, making the cable extremely vulnerable.

Their 16-year-old son, who was preparing for exams at the time, was also impacted.