National broadband infrastructure supplier Openreach says it is ready for the worst the winter weather can throw at it after stocking up on thousands of snow shoes, snow socks for vehicle tyres, bags of salt and litres of screenwash.
Lessons learned from dealing with extreme conditions during recent years has led the 海角视频’s biggest telephone and broadband network to invest in huge amounts of winter weather equipment so its engineers can remain on the road.
So far the seasonal shopping list includes:
– 62,000 kilos of rock salt;
– 1,700 snow shovels;
– 3,400 ice and snow grips for footwear;
– 3,500 sets of snow socks for van tyres;
– 20,000 litres of screenwash;
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– 20,000 de-icer sprays.
The operation is being co-ordinated through a depot at Magna Park, near Lutterworth in south Leicestershire.
Director of operations in the East Midlands, Huw Jones, said: “It’s impossible to predict what kind of winter we’re going to have, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for the worst it can offer.
“Our engineers are out and about in all conditions, whether that’s fixing and maintaining the network, or working on some of our latest full fibre builds in places like Derby, Northampton and Nottingham.
“Making sure they have access to the latest winter weather kit is not only important to help them do their job, but also essential to make sure they can stay safe, particularly in snow and ice.
“Our network covers some of the most remote places in the region so this is something that’s really important to us.
“We’d also urge anyone to alert us if they spot any damage to our network, like dangling cables or broken poles, so we can crack on with repairs.
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“When mother nature does come calling, we’ll be as ready and prepared as we can be to fight back.”
He said that as well as stocking up on supplies, Openreach had invested in locations which have proved susceptible to storms and wild weather in recent winters.
A fleet of 4x4 vehicles is strategically placed around the 海角视频 to reach isolated and extremely rural communities quickly.
The winter readiness plans are being supported by a record level of recruitment, he said.
Across the East Midlands, around 1,500 people are employed by Openreach, most of them engineers.
And that team is expanding, after it was announced earlier this year that more than 185 new engineers were being recruited.
Openreach provides the biggest telephone and broadband network in the 海角视频, passing more than 31.8 million premises, and is used by hundreds of service providers such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk.
It supports 300 million telephone calls and 350 million internet connections every day.
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Anyone spotting any damage to the Openreach network following bad weather this winter, like loose, snapped or dangling cables, damaged telephone poles or missing manhole covers, can report it by visiting the Openreach website and using the reporting damage or safety problems page, or by calling 0800 023 2023.
Nationally the business employs 33,000 people, working on behalf of more than 620 communications providers.
Over the last decade it has invested more than £13 billion in its 107 million mile long network.
For the year ended 31 March 2019, it reported revenues of £5.1 billion.