Mike Williams, of Lincoln Close, said Lightning Fibre worked on the street last year. Now a year on, he said CityFibre are doing the same. Mr Williams said: “I spoke to the people carrying out the work, who were very helpful and polite, and I asked them why a single larger pipe or conduit could not have been laid in the first place which could be shared by any fibre company. “I was told that the council prevents this eminently sensible idea. Indeed, should another company wish to lay their cable it would need to be dug up all over again.” An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “It is completely untrue to say that the East Sussex Highways prevents fibre network companies from sharing apparatus or infrastructure. We actively encourage collaborative working and will do everything we can to facilitate that as we recognise this helps to minimise disruption for road users and residents. “However, every company has their own needs, design and installation techniques and we have no legislative powers to dictate how they should install their apparatus and networks. We can only process permit applications as and when they are received. “Although work on roads and pavements is disruptive, we work closely with utility companies to try and minimise this as much as possible and will continue to do so.” A Lightning Fibre spokesperson said: “We’re building an independent full fibre network and other companies are permitted to do the same. We appreciate this is frustrating for residents but the work takes a matter of days. Choice for consumers ultimately means better service and lower prices. The council coordinates work to minimise disruption.” A CityFibre spokesperson said: “When we install our network, we always look to collaborate with other companies, however, this is not always possible as our infrastructure design and requirements can sometimes differ from others. We would like to thank the local community for their patience while we develop our full fibre network in the town. On completion, it will provide residents with the best connectivity available and a range of providers and packages to choose from.” More news from Eastbourne