A retired homeowner has revealed his anger after two ‘eyesore’ telegraph poles were erected outside his home on a picturesque cul-de-sac.
John Schofield, 67, of Sheffield, said he can see the huge masts when he sits on the sofa in his living room and they are ‘distracting’ when he looks out the three front windows of his house.
The pensioner said he complained tirelessly before the poles were put up after objection notices appeared on lampposts warning residents of the incoming masts, but his letters were ignored.
The property owner is the latest in a string of people to complain about the broadband poles appearing outside their houses, with many ruining views and even blocking driveways.
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Speaking to , Mr Schofield said: ‘They’re overbearing and inappropriate.
‘They’re not needed, they’ve actually spoilt […] our quiet cul-de-sac which is quite a nice community.
John Schofield, 67, shared his anger after two telegraph poles were installed outside his house
The view from a window outside the front of Mr Schofield’s house in Sheffield
‘There’s a little village green in front, […] it’s still got a couple of trees on it and they’ve just come and stuck the telegraph poles right in the middle of it which aren’t needed.’
He added: ‘If I sit on my settee now […] as I look out the window I can see this pole stuck right up.’
Mr Schofield, who has lived at the property with his wife for 18 years, claimed the process started in June 2021 when notices were put up on lampposts near his house telling residents that the poles would be installed.
The homeowner claimed he immediately wrote to BT’s Pole Objection Team but received no response.
‘Several years ago a guy came on our street and started marking up circles on the floor and putting posters on street lamps and saying if we didn’t like the idea we could object,’ he said.
‘We objected but the letters got ignored – we never had a response.’
The masts did not appear until November 2022, according to Mr Schofield, after residents on the estate had objected tirelessly to stop them from being erected.
He said he and his neighbours even contacted their local MP Clive Betts who complained to Openreach, the company who reportedly installed the poles, yet the masts have remained.
The pensioner has lived at the property for eighteen years and said people take pride in the appearance of the area
Mr Schofield called the poles ‘overbearing’ and can see them from inside his home
He added: ‘I think about a year later they turned up and stuck the telegraph poles in the ground.’
The homeowner also claimed that two more telegraph poles were installed further down, meaning four poles are installed on the small cul-de-sac. He added that Openreach came to install a new wire to the poles last summer.
‘They’re just there now and they’re like a horrible blot on the landscape,’ he said.
‘They just look out of place, they just look horrible.’
He added: ‘When you want to complain to a big company you just know it’s not going to happen. I can’t just let it happen I’ve got to object.’
An Openreach spokesperson said: ‘Wherever possible, we use existing poles when we’re making broadband upgrades. We know new poles can have a visual impact, so we always follow planning rules and consider the cost and safety implications before installing them.
‘Sometimes we just can’t avoid it, but recent surveys show the vast majority of people accept a new pole in their street for faster broadband.’
has contacted BT for comment.
It comes after other homeowners also complained about being able to see the huge masts outside their windows, claiming it has ruined their view.
Another homeowner from Lancashire told the pole installed outside their house is visible from ‘every window’ from the front of the property
Vivienne Calderbank, from Littleborough, previously told a metal telegraph pole was put up outside her window by a different broadband company
An anonymous homeowner from Lancashire told the pole put up outside their house around a year ago is visible from ‘every window’ from the front of the property.
‘We’re not a bit happy about it – not one bit happy about it. From every window at the front of our house the pole is there. It’s right in the middle – it’s been put right up against the wall,’ they said.
The homeowner claimed they were on holiday when their daughter, who was checking up on the house, called to say a telegraph pole was being erected outside the property.
‘What happened was we were away on holiday, and our daughter checks on our house. So she came to check on our house and when she came, there were cranes and all sorts here outside our house. They dug up all the pavement,’ they said.
‘So she was the first to see it, so she phoned us to say Mum I don’t know what’s going on. She said they’re putting a telegraph pole outside the house.’
They added: ‘When you’re sitting you’re just looking at the pole. The other thing is the birds like to stay on it now, so the area is full of bird dirt.’