mmg.com.au

The replacement of a telephone cable in north Shepparton is today expected to return landline services to about 1200 Telstra customers.

Water damaged the cable on Knight St and customers north of the road were yesterday left without a landline service.

Telstra northern Victoria general manager Robert Bell said a new cable was yesterday expected to arrive from Melbourne.

Mr Bell said alarms told Telstra if there were problems with a particular telephone cable.

‘‘Usually if more than one or two faults are reported in any given area, we investigate if it is more serious,’’ he said.

Mr Bell said the new cable would be pulled underground on Knight St to individually replace the services.

He said the issue was unavoidable.

‘‘We would like water not to enter any of our cables, but the outer skin of the cable was damaged,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re going to have our technicians working around the clock until we restore it.

‘‘I remember almost eight or nine years ago when someone bore through a cable in Welsford St and knocked out about 600 services.

‘‘These things just happen.’’

Mr Bell said Telstra mobile services would remain functional while the cable was replaced.

Marshalls Corner Milk Bar on the corner of Knight and Wyndham Sts yesterday still had a functional landline service.

Other north Shepparton businesses such as Dunkirk Ave Fish and Chips, Branditt Ave Takeaway and Eagle Boys Pizza on Numurkah Rd also had their landline services when The News visited.