A COMMUNITY organisation has been left without phone lines and Broadband by telecoms giant BT after a nightmare six months.

The Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) – a small and not-for-profit company – has been without landlines since moving to new premises in November.

ACoRP, a federation of more than 60 community rail partnerships, promotes local rail services. It has three full-time staff and four part-time.

It organises events, conferences and seminars.

ACoRP, previously based at Slaithwaite Civic Centre, told BT of its plans to move to Huddersfield town centre in August.

But after a catalogue of failed appointments, ACoRP is still relying on costly mobile phones and a Broadband dongle.

Staff can’t order new stationery because they still don’t know what their number will be.

In desperation office manager Dawn Wolrich contacted BT chairman Sir Michael Rake and chief executive Ian Livingston.

Mr Livingston replied by email on January 15 apologising and said the “high level service team” would investigate.

But the organisation has heard nothing since and Dawn said: “We’ve just been left hanging on.”

Dawn told how the organisation, which had two BT lines and broadband, started planning its move to newly-refurbished offices at The Old Water Tower at Huddersfield Railway Station last summer.

“I contacted BT about moving the phone lines and keeping the same numbers but was advised, due to ongoing costs and the fact the lines would need to be moved to a different exchange that I should cancel the old lines and set up a new system,” said Dawn.

“Our first appointment for the installation was October 9 but the engineers turned up and realised there was no wiring into the premises.”

After that engineers have made numerous appointments but lines have yet to be installed.

“We have been told they need to take wires across the road but there have been so many excuses why they haven’t been able to do it,” said Dawn.