UP to 300 homes and businesses were left without phone or internet access after thieves went on the rampage.

It is thought some people could be left without a phone line for up to three weeks following the theft.

The incident, which has affected the whole of East Tilbury, has left residents fuming and some firms losing potentially thousands of pounds as they are unable to carry out debit or credit card transactions.

It is the fifth time the area has been hit by thieves stealing underground BT phone cable in the past five years.

One resident, Lee Ceurvels, 62, of Lambourne, East Tilbury, is recovering from cancer and has just finished chemotherapy treatment and relies on being able to use his phone to contact his hospital and GP.

Mr Ceurvels said: “Why doesn’t BT keep on top of this? It seems to take ages to sort out.”

Police are investigating the theft and a spokesman for BT said they were not sure when the lines would be repaired.

He said: “It is extremely regrettable when BT suffers this kind of third party damage to its network. Our priority is to restore services to those people affected as quickly as possible.”

Anyone with information about the theft, which happened on Sunday evening, can contact police at Thurrock on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.