How do I report damaged Openreach equipment?

Use the chat service during 7am–7pm, Monday to Sunday. For emergencies or out of hours, call 0800 023 2023.

What if the damage is hazardous?

If the equipment poses immediate danger, stay at a safe distance and call 0800 023 2023.

Can I contact Openreach about damaged equipment?

For non-emergency reports during business hours, use the chat service. The phone line is available for emergencies.

Report unsafe or damaged Openreach equipment

If you see unsafe, damaged or vandalised Openreach equipment, you can report it to us by starting a chat.

Make a report
What you should report
After you have made a report
Identifying Openreach equipment

Make a report

To report unsafe or damaged equipment, click the chat icon in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen to start a chat.

Chat available: Mon-Sun, 7am-7pm

If this is an emergency, or outside 7am-7pm, call 0800 023 2023.

What you should report

You can use our form if you see any of the following:

Damaged underground or exposed cables

Loose cables or cables dangling from telephone poles

Green street cabinets that are damaged, vandalised or left open

Telephone poles that are leaning at odd angles or have fallen

Loose, cracked or missing manhole covers

Anything unsafe at a site where we’re working

Not sure if it’s ours? Check out the identifying our equipment guide.

After you have made a report

We’ll review your report as soon as it comes in
An engineer will be attend the scene of the damage as soon as possible to make an assessment
Damage that is deemed a hazard or a risk to public safety will be made safe and repaired as quickly as possible by an Openreach engineer
Our engineers will work with local councils or emergency services to make the area safe
Less urgent damage will still be fixed but it may take a little longer as we priorise more urgent cases

If your broadband or phone service isn’t working because of the damage, please contact your service provider. They will raise a repair with us.

Identifying Openreach equipment

First, take a look at our identifying our equipment guide and check that it’s ours.

Once you’re sure the equipment belongs to us, it would really help if you use the What3Words app to tell us exactly where the damaged equipment is so our engineers can locate and make it safe as quickly as possible, alternatively identify the nearest post code to the location. You can download the What3Words app from the app store on your mobile device - they’re a third party and you can access their privacy statement to understand how they use your data.

Frequently asked questions

How do I report damaged Openreach equipment?

Use the chat service above during 7am–7pm, Monday to Sunday. For emergencies or out of hours, call 0800 023 2023.
What if I think the damage is hazardous?

If the equipment poses an immediate danger, stay at a safe distance and call us straight away on 0800 023 2023.
Can I contact Openreach about damaged equipment?

For non-emergency reports during business hours, please use the chat service. The phone line is available for emergencies or when chat is unavailable.