A PONTYWAUN couple have complained to BT after a 5ft tall Openreach broadband box was installed outside their home without consultation.

Sandra and Shaun Emberson, of North Road, said they came home from work to find BT workmen digging up the pavement and blocking their drive to install the fibre optic broadband box.

Mrs Emberson said the box, which has yet to be connected, is five feet tall and four feet wide and could have been installed further down the road, causing less obstruction.

BT said no objection was made by Caerphilly County Borough Council and residents do not need to be notified as the cabinet is on public land.

Mrs Emberson said: “We’ve got conifers so you can’t see it from our house but we just came home and found this massive box outside our house.

“We were told they were going to dig a four-foot hole outside but I stopped them digging and the workmen were told not to do anything while the complaint was going through.

“They got in touch on Thursday to say they had looked into it and were not going to move it.

“My objection is that they could move it about 20 yards down the road and it would be opposite a car park, causing no obstruction.

“This is the largest kind of box they have.

“It will provide the whole of Pontywaun with superfast broadband but there must be somewhere more suitable they could put it.”

A BT spokesman said: “Strict technical limitations affect where new cabinets can be installed, including being close to existing copper cabinets, not being a traffic hazard or restricting the movement of pedestrians, such as those in wheelchairs.

“Local authority planning regulations and processes are followed in each case, especially in conservation areas.

“In this case, the local council was notified and no conditions were applied.

“Notification to local residents was not required as the cabinet is on public land. In this case, there are no alternative locations that meet the criteria.”