Residents have been reportedly “cut off” from the outside world after parts of their Suffolk village were said to have been left without a phone connection for days.

Slow internet is also said to have affected people living in Bramfield, Halesworth, with several residents reporting problems.

According to parish councillor Andrew Niven - who runs the village’s online community page, where many complaints have been made - some people have been left without a phone connection for several days, with others experiencing crackling phone lines.

“A lot of people in the northern part of the village have been complaining that their internet has been dropping out,” he said.

“Mine is working but it’s incredibly slow.

“One woman who lives in the centre of the village has been without a phone for days - and her emergency button is linked to her landline. She has been effectively cut off in that respect.”

BT has been contacted for comment but has not yet said what the problem is.

However residents have reported seeing engineers working on a BT green cabinet in the village.

Fellow Bramfield resident Mel Atkinson said: “It’s inexcusable that these problems have gone on for more than a week.

“My wife has been unable to work from home, as she is wholly dependent on reliable broadband. We’re paying BT £70 a month for a service that keeps crashing every few minutes.”

Fellow resident Brian Alexander, 61, who works at Bramfield Garage, said: “I haven’t suffered but people across the road from the garage have and customers have said they have been without internet and phones for a few days.

“A lot of people do online shopping. We don’t have a working phone box, a village shop or a post office - all those facilities have gone, so not having the internet does have an impact.

“We have all the modern facilities but have lost a lot of the low-tech facilities we had in the past - so when the hi-tech things disappear, you’re a little bit stumped.”

? Have you experienced problems with phone and internet connections in Bramfield? Write, giving your full contact details, to andrew.papworth@archant.co.uk