The rolling hills of Batchelor and the lush bushland of Adelaide River in the Northern Territory's Top End is the scene of a bizarre dispute, involving a gun, Telstra and a landlocked telephone tower.

Key points: A nasty stoush between a landowner and Telstra is causing regular reception blackouts in 81 homes

A nasty stoush between a landowner and Telstra is causing regular reception blackouts in 81 homes The reason for the stoush is unknown but has lasted at least a decade and has gradually worsened

The reason for the stoush is unknown but has lasted at least a decade and has gradually worsened People close to the feud have claimed that the landowner has pointed a gun at Telstra workers

The extraordinary feud began several years ago, when the Northern Territory Government re-zoned land near Batchelor.

The re-zoning meant a Telstra tower became landlocked on private property owned by a man who has such a beef with the telecom provider he will not allow them on his land.

It means that when repair workers need to access the tower to make repairs or improvements, they are forced to hire a helicopter to access it, rather than driving through the front gate.

The hiring of the chopper adds significant time to the length of phone blackouts in the area which can often last several hours, if not days.

Although Telstra would not agree to an interview (citing the fact that it is locked in a legal battle with the property owner), the ABC heard from at least four people close to the situation who said the man had pointed a gun at Telstra workers and owned a Telstra sign which was covered in bullet holes.

The property owner reportedly allowed the Power and Water Corporation and Optus to access his land to make repairs but drew the line at Telstra driving through his homestead.

The telephone tower services 81 fixed landlines in homes at Adelaide River and Batchelor, and residents in the area said they were angry at the man for engaging in what they described as a meaningless dispute.

'Sometimes I haven't even been able to get off the floor'

Neil McDonald is a resident of one of the 81 homes affected and claimed the issue had gradually gotten worse.

"Last year we were off for about 10 days but this year I can honestly say we've been offline for 20 days … it's very frustrating," he said.

Neil McDonald says he has a serious heart condition and the constant phone blackouts affect his ability to access help. ( ABC News: Elias Clure )

Mr McDonald said he also has a serious heart condition and the constant phone blackouts affect his ability to access help.

"As I have a medical problem with me old ticker — I can wake up and I can feel very bad," he said.

"Sometimes I haven't even been able to get off the floor and I try and call for help and triple 0 — all of them they're all out.

"Why is he [the property owner] endangering my security and life? He may not realise that, but I don't know what this is all about, all I know is the effect this having."

He said his neighbours were equally as outraged and are bemused as to why the dispute has gone on for so long.

"I'd ask him straight if he was here, why are you endangering our lives?" he said.

"Telephone is the right of every man woman and child … in the dry season we have bush fires and we might not be able to call for anyone."

Gary Higgins is the local member for the area and said he had been aware of the dispute for several years, admitting it was an unusual situation.

"When I get issues like this one … it's consistent with all the complaints we're getting [about telecommunications] but the difference with this is that it's been exacerbated by a land owner's dispute with Telstra," he said.

"The access that Telstra had previously used was via the highway and didn't require them to cross this person's land."

He added the dispute meant there was no consistency for residents who used phones in the area because of the way in which the Telstra network was set up.

"There's no back up to anything, once you leave Darwin if one tower goes down everyone is out, and everyone suffers, if you look at Adelaide River you've got one tower, you're out, same in Batchelor," he said.

"So, the fact that you don't have this back up or redundancy creates bigger problems for everyone."

The ABC has made several attempts to contact the land owner to no avail.