RESIDENTS living near a major scheme to demolish and rebuild a bridge across a railway line say they have been left without an internet connection for weeks.

Since work began in September to replace the bridge at Dinsdale station, Middleton St George, with a taller structure, people living near the work say their internet speed has been considerably slower than normal, with some losing their connection completely.

Stephen Meredith-Smith, who lives in The Greenway, backing on to Dinsdale station, said his wifi connection, provided by T-Mobile, disappeared completely on November 22 and still has not returned.

The 54-year-old said he and his wife must travel to a nearby supermarket to check their emails or visit a relative to use their internet.

His 28-year-old daughter, who lives in Chapel Street on the opposite side of the bridge, has also lost her internet connection, provided by mobile phone company, Orange.

Mr Meredith-Smith said: “My daughter has an internet speed checker on her phone which she checked this week and it came up as zero. At the moment, we are paying for a service we don’t have.

“We are just fed up to the back teeth, it is just one thing after another. We have put up for a long time with the hammering and banging coming from the site and now this.”

Mr Meredith-Smith initially believed the connection loss was due to an internet booster being used at the site by contractor Carillion.

However a spokeswoman for the company said that the residents’ internet connection was still down despite Carillion switching their wifi off on an evening and at weekends.

“We have been in contact with Mr Meredith-Smith and we are aware of the issue,” she said. “We are working with Mr Meredith-Smith but we haven’t yet been able to determine what is causing it.”