ANGRY neighbours are fighting to stop a cable TV company digging up their gardens and driveways.

Residents in Anglian Close and Norman Road, Oswaldtwistle, say they cannot understand why Nynex must dig outside all their homes when only two households in the area, both of them near each other, want cable.

The residents have no footpath outside their properties, only gardens and driveways reaching to the road.

The first few feet of their lawn is classed as a service strip, like a pavement, which is where Nynex is allowed to dig.

But many residents say it is not right that their properties should be disrupted for something they don't want.

They have also claimed:

Workers leave messy, uneven tarmacadam.

Nynex workers in other parts of Oswaldtwistle start as early as 7.30am, disrupt the neighbourhood and give abuse when asked to stop.

Workers park their cars anywhere they like.

They also claimed they had been told the work would be carried out during the summer holidays and had been asked to keep their children indoors. Debbie Masterman, of Anglian Road, said: "It's just a waste of their time and effort because we don't want cable."

Neighbour Kathleen Whalley added: "They are coming through my garden and I can't do a thing about it."

The residents sent a petition to Nynex but claim they heard nothing back.

Nynex public relations manager Jackie Paterson explained that the company was still considering the areas most convenient to lay the cable.

"We will always be sensitive to this type of situation and work to find a compromise," she said.

"There are strict rules governing the service strip in gardens but we will look to find a solution with every resident and contact each individually."

She also said if residents wanted the work to start after the summer they would try to oblige, though the work was not a risk to children as everything was dug by hand.

She added: "Contractors are allowed to set up at locations at 7.30am but if any inconvenience has occurred we would only sincerely apologise and undertake investigations to be sure it doesn't happen again.

"We have had two requests for cable and like any utility we have an obligation to provide the service if requests are made."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.