A FIRE in a telephone exchange at East Bergholt has left 1,300 residents without the use of landline phones.The blaze spread from a van parked near the exchange in Gaston Street to the single-storey building at about 9pm yesterday, causing severe damage.

A FIRE in a telephone exchange at East Bergholt has left 1,300 residents without the use of landline phones.

The blaze spread from a van parked near the exchange in Gaston Street to the single-storey building at about 9pm yesterday, causing severe damage.

Telephone landlines were cut to the village and BT has been working to restore the connections throughout the day.

It brought in a mobile exchange to set up a temporary connection and resorted to giving residents access to mobile phones for emergency use.

For the full story see Monday's Evening Star.