Neighbours on a Bolton estate have branded wooden telegraph poles on their street an 'eyesore' as they joined others across Bolton angry at their sudden appearance.
They said 'nobody asked for them and nobody wants them'.
Brodick Drive in Breightmet is the latest are to have seen telegraph poles appearing with residents saying there has been no prior planning or consultancy.
This comes after poles appeared in Farnworth and Smithills, which left residents angry and bewildered.
The new poles are sprouting up because of a planning law known as “permitted development” which allows companies to install wooden telegraph poles without first getting permission from the council.
Local resident Peter Foster said: “Well I think they’re a disgusting eyesore. We’ve got perfectly adequate underground cables and fibre. It’s just supplementing something we’ve already got.
“It’s only since the New Year that this has happened. There was no notification at all.
“I’ve written to my local MP, Mark Logan, to object about it, and my fellow residents are unhappy about it.
“We don’t need this, nobody asked for it and nobody wants it.”
Another resident, Joan Roberts, said: “Why do they have to have this, are we going back to the dark ages?
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“I’ve got perfect internet.
“In years’ time, they will be an eyesore, not in use. I thought we were trying to be greener.”
Kaitlyn Hynes, aged 26, said: “I’ve actually put a complaint in about the pole, I think it looks awful.
“I think most people agree, what I have put a complaint in to the council and to the actual company.
“We don’t want it in place. We didn’t get any say in whether it was going to be there.
“I’m just not happy with it.”
Local resident Andrew Groarke said: “I’ve just gone round this morning and there’s some company planting telegraph poles.
“I’ve spoken to planning, who say they don’t need planning permission. They can put it anywhere they want, no consultation, no information about it.
Read more: Resident bewildered by another "unsightly" pole outside house
“I don’t want them coming round here putting up telegraph poles and making an eyesore.
“Don’t really need to put telegraph poles here, as the communication infrastructure is already in the ground.”
Other residents were less concerned with the poles.
One resident said: “It’s part of progress, we have to move along or we’ll get left behind.
“When I was a young lad, there were always poles, we’ve just gone back to the way it was in the 1930s and 40s.
“You go back 20 years, people complained about satellite dishes, but everyone wanted satellite.”
Another resident said that they ‘weren’t bothered’ and hadn’t noticed the poles before being asked about them.
Read more: Angry residents grill MP over growing number of 6G poles - and his donation
A Bolton Council spokesman said: "A number of new telegraph poles have been installed across the borough as telecoms companies work to deliver faster broadband to homes in Bolton.
"Under a planning law known as 'permitted development', the companies are allowed to install the wooden telegraph poles without first getting permission from the council.
"The poles are distinct from mobile phone or 5G towers which are significantly taller and are subject to the full planning process before installation, including consultation with local residents.
"Attaching broadband cables to telegraph poles, means the companies can provide high-speed internet more efficiently without having to dig up roads, driveways or front gardens.
"The installations are part of work being undertaken by a number of communications companies to improve Bolton’s digital infrastructure."
IX Wireless have been approached for comment.
The company previously told The Bolton News: "So far, we've installed a new fibre network infrastructure in six Lancashire towns. The uptake we’ve seen clearly highlights the demand for a higher speed internet at an affordable price in these areas.
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