Pot-shotters causing phone chaos

April, 1995

Maverick game hunters have left hundreds of County Wicklow subscribers complaining about what is literally a blasted telephone service.

According to Telecom Eireann, serious damage is being inflicted on local lines by rogue hunters who carelessly fire their guns at perched birds without a care about the consequences.

The result is that up to half of all lines to or from the Roundwood area are regularly affected by serious interference or even go completely dead, while the problem also affects the Newtown and Newcastle areas to a lesser extent.

In a bid to halt the worsening situation, local Telecom officials have now publicly appealed to hunters to refrain from shooting at birds anywhere near overhead cables.

Polythene cables introduced over the past decade are especially vulnerable from stray pellets unleashed by gun toting hunters. Between 40 per cent and 60 per cent of Telecom subscribers are affected by the problem which manifests itself in the form of crackling and other interruptions, or worse still, a completely dead line.