A PHONE line fault has kept BT customers on hold for three weeks.

Farms and remote homes in the Landside area of Leigh have been without normal service because of an underground fault.

Mary Bent, of Carr Lane, said: "We have had problems with the line for a long time but to be without a home phone for three weeks is ridiculous.

"Had we had the option of switching to cable we would have done."

Another customer said that although BT had diverted landline calls to mobiles where possible, computer internet connections were unavailable.

"They were going to give us £78 compensation for loss of broadband but this has since been reduced to £25," said one irate user.

A spokesman for BT said: "We need to replace 85 metres of underground ducting and cable, which we hope to do as quickly as possible.

"We apologise to customers for the delay. In the meantime, we have diverted calls on the faulty lines to customers' mobiles or other land lines wherever possible.

"We are very sorry this fault is taking longer to fix than BT would want or normally expect. However, it has proved a very complicated one to pinpoint."