PEOPLE who spot damage to broadband cabinets, telephone poles and overhead wires will be able to report the exact location to Openreach.

Openreach’s 3,400 South West engineers and its customer service teams will use the what3words system so the public can accurately locate damage.

The what3words platform grids the whole Earth into three metre squares. The public can use its app or website to make a note of three words that pinpoint any location.

Andy Parham, Openreach’s director of operations for Wessex, said: “This should make a huge difference to how safety issues and damage to our network are reported to us and how easy they are to find quickly.

“To use what3words, you simply need to visit the app or website and make a note of the three words (e.g. darling.lion.race) that pinpoint your chosen location. When you report speak to Openreach, just let us know these three words, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Damage can be reported at openreach.com, via Openreach’s social media pages or by calling 0800 023 2023.