AN Upper Ferntree Gully man has unsuccessfully spent more than six months fighting to get unsafe broadband wires fixed outside his elderly mother’s house — and the National Broadband Network admits its response has been “unacceptable”.

media_camera The cables hang low over the road. Picture: Steve Tanner

Richard Pennicuik, 65, said he had made dozens of calls to the NBN and Telstra since April, reporting concerns about the height of the wiring.

He is a carer for his 87-year-old mother Dorothy, and said the wires were an “accident waiting to happen”.

“It’s not a matter of if something will hit it, it’s when,” he said.

“It would be ripped down by a four-wheel drive let alone a rubbish truck or a fire truck.”

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He said his requests for it to be fixed were ignored and suspected it was because it was in a “rural” street.

“They’ve just sent me back and forth and through to Philippines call centres,” he said.

“I’m absolutely sick of it.”

After Knox Leader made inquiries to NBN and Telstra, both companies sent contractors to the site the very next day — but the issue has still not been fixed.

NBN spokesman James Kaufman said the delay was “unacceptable” and apologised to Mr Pennicuik.

media_camera Richard Pennicuik has made dozens of calls to the NBN and Telstra since July about the low-hanging wires outside his mum Dorothy’s home, fearful a truck could take them out. Picture: Steve Tanner media_camera The NBN has admitted its response has been “unacceptable”. Picture: Steve Tanner

Mr Kaufman said the fraying cables were not NBN-related but their technicians were “looking at the best ways to fix the problem”.

“The existing infrastructure in this area appears to be quite old,” he said.

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“Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where the existing cabling in the street is pre-existing and was not built by NBN.”

Telstra area general manager Loretta Willaton said they were working with NBN to now try and resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Mr Pennicuik said his mother Dorothy had Alzheimer’s disease and used the internet to watch animal videos and listen to music.

media_camera Dorothy Pennicuik, 87, has Alzheimer’s and would be lost without the internet. Picture: Steve Tanner

He said if the wire was hit they would be left without internet access and phone service — and neither of them owned mobile phones.

“It’s a potential disaster. My mum will have no ability to make calls — what if she has something wrong with her? That’s it mate, you’re stuffed.”

It is not the first time Mr Pennicuik has taken a stand on an issue.

While he was living in Perth in 2010 he became known as the ‘tree man’ after spending 108 days living up a gum tree in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to save it.

media_camera Richard Pennicuik in 2010, when he spent 108 days up a gum tree outside his house in Perth in a bid to safe it.

He described the issue with the NBN wires as “incredibly frustrating” and said he was determined to get it fixed.