Scots pensioner facing £1000 bill over row about telecom mast in garden

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scots pensioner is facing a £1,000 bill to have a telecom company's mast wires moved in her garden.Ellen Ballantyne, 67, from Greenock wants to lay decking and have an outdoor seating area at her home.

But broadband provider Openreach say she'll have to pay them first.She now has some money set aside to transform her outside space into a tranquil spot at the home.

However, a mast and 'stay wire' that have been in Ellen's garden for 20 years will have to be moved.Openreach has advised Ellen that a survey will have to be undertaken before the position of the wire is changed, and say the cost of the survey - which could reach £1,000 - must be covered by Ellen.Ellan said: "I don't understand why it's me who has to pay when it's them who put it here in the first place."I'm trying to improve the property for the future and make the outside look better."They should be paying me to have this in my garden."All I'm asking for is for the wire to be moved a bit closer to the fence so there's more space for the decking."Retired Ellen grew up in the property and cared for her parents there in later life but she moved away for a few years before returning back to the house in 2010.Ellen, who volunteers at a charity shop in Greenock, has already cleared away trees and greenery to allow for the decking to be installed.She says she has 'never bothered' about the mast and stay wire in the garden and just accepted them being there.Ellen said: "The mast has been there for a long time and I understand that it needs to be there."I've never really thought about it until now.

The position of the wire is going to make it really difficult to install the decking."Openreach said that 'survey costs are estimated' and 'based upon how long it takes