Subsea cable damage causes Westray broadband outage

An emergency subsea cable ship is to be dispatched in efforts to resolve a broadband outage in Westray.

A damaged cable approximately 8km off the Mainland is understood to be the cause of the outage. Openreach confirmed, this afternoon, Wednesday that a ship is expected to set sail from the Isle of Portland tomorrow and reach Orkney by Sunday in order to undertake repairs.

Meanwhile, engineers are working to provide a radio link to the island, which will provide some broadband service to around half the island’s households.

An Openreach spokeswoman said: “Our emergency response team has arrived on Mainland and we’re following COVID precautions recommended by the council before heading to Westray to provide emergency wifi.

“We’re sorry about this disruption to service. Residents and businesses can seek further advice from their broadband providers.”