BT has quoted a pensioner £150,000 to install a broadband line to her home in rural Wales.

The national telco contacted Beverley McCartney, who lives in Salem, Carmarthenshire, last week, the BBC reports.

It had previously told her it could not connect her home, but was pleased to say it now could for the bargain price of £129,613.54 plus VAT. BT said it would contribute £8,000.

A shocked Mrs McCartney said: "I phoned BT and said surely this is a typing error and the girl said, 'No, there's been no mistake, other people have had bills for much more than this.'"

Other houses in Salem, which is three miles outside Llandeilo, do have broadband, so the village isn't classified as a "not-spot" which would qualify for a Welsh Assembly subsidy.

BT spokesman Chris Orum defended the quote. "If it's just one individual person and it requires upgrading the network for one person, no company would cover that," he said. ®