A MAN living on a street covered in telephone masts says he feels like he's living in a pole city – and has had enough.

Neil Hodgson, 48, said tall masts now tower over his street with their wires "crisscrossing" over footpaths and connecting to each home.

The Brendon Avenue, Hull local said it's only recently the extra poles have popped up and he's now worried what will happen when a storm rolls in.

Neil explained that there are now three different broadband providers – each with their own mast – and he can't understand why they couldn't just share the one.

He said there are now talks another company is going to move onto the street too – but that it plans to dig up the street.

The three companies Connexin, MS3 and Grain said they understood Neil and other locals' concerns, but they had been forced to build their own infrastructure because KCOM controls existing lines.

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The 48-year-old told HullLive: "We now have three poles, it looks like pole city, soon there'll be more poles than houses here.

"I understand that we have to move with the times, but it seems ridiculous that someone at the council's let this happen."

However Hull City Council said its hands are tied – it has no power to stop poles being put up under current laws.

Neil continued: "We first of all had KCOM down here with the standard set of street poles.

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"But then a few months back another company Connexin came in, they just put some notices up one day saying they were going to put the poles up.

"Then a third company came along, MS3, and I found out about their poles when they knocked on my door and asked if the car outside my house was mine and if I could move it, it was my neighbour's.

"A few days ago I got another knock at my door, this time someone from Grain said they were going to be digging up the pavement to lay cables, that was quite surprising to me."

Neil admitted he's "all for competition to bring the broadband prices down", but said he couldn't understand why the providers don't just come to an agreement.

He said: "It's like being back in the 1920s with all these different companies having to put their own wires up.

"I don't see why they can't just have the wires all on one pole, or together underground.

"We've got wires crisscrossing each other all along the street now, what if one of the poles fell?

It looks like pole city, soon there'll be more poles than houses here.

"It would take out all the other wires too, and we need broadband to live our lives now.

"It seems like this is no different to anywhere else in Hull. It's happening right across the city."

Connexin said: "We understand and support the resident's desire to see more infrastructure sharing, we would be delighted to work more closely with KCOM, which owns much of the existing telecoms assets across Hull.

"As far as we know, plans have been accepted from all the suppliers concerned. So they will have been risk assessed for a range of scenarios, including those over which the resident has raised concerns."

MS3 added: "MS3, alongside other network constructors, the local council and MPs have been working on a voluntary charter to ensure best practise and minimise disruption.

"We remain in constructive dialogue with KCOM in regard to network sharing and will continue to strive for the best outcomes for the homes and businesses in our city.

"Along with normal operational repairs, both our build and operations teams are fully conversant for their recovery and repair strategy should any damages occur to the network."

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Grain then said: "We understand that there is a lot of frustration in Hull about the impact of lots of new telegraph poles being installed on the street.

"We agree this is unnecessary. We have given a commitment to Hull council and the local MPs that Grain will never install a telegraph pole as part of our network deployment. "

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