RESIDENTS of a Blackburn street have been advised to use their neighbours' phones in an emergency after a fault with a number of lines.

Four houses on Belthorn Road woke up to find their phone lines dead on Thursday, and repairs could take until after the weekend.

Florence Hughes, of Belthorn Road, said: "I went to use the phone and it wasn't working.

"I phoned BT to report the fault and they said that it could be Monday which is a long time, an unacceptable."

BT have offered residents a free 'divert-to-mobile' solution, which will transfer any calls to their house to a mobile phone.

A spokesman for BT said: "There were four customers affected by the situation. Where possible customers have been offered the divert-to-mobile solution, but people will be able to use their neighbours phones in an emergency.

"Monday has been suggested for when the repairs could be finished, or it could be earlier.

"If we have a major network incident we have emergency provisions to notify the police, who may step up patrols, but we have not needed to."