HC Deb 29 July 1953 vol 518 cc1280-1
7. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General to make a statement about the telephone breakdown at Bath on 16th July.

8. Mr. Nally

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will make a full statement as to the cause of the overhead cable breakdown which cut off the telephones at Bath Race Course from the telephone exchange.

Mr. Gammans

The damage occurred in an overhead section, about three-quarters of a mile from the Bath Race Course, where the cable is partly hidden by a large bush. Preliminary examination suggested that the cable had been deliberately cut and the police were immediately notified. With their agreement arrangements were made to have the cable examined by experts at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill. Tests made with an identical cable showed that the damage was entirely consistent with its having been caused by an oxy-acetylene torch, and the presence of small splashes of metal from the cable sheath on the foliage and in the soil round about, further confirmed this impression. Police investigations are continuing.

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

How long did it take the Post Office to find out that this break down was not an act of God, and will the Minister also say whether he has considered the possible use of radio telephony as a stand-by in case of emergency, and so make communications to race courses more crook-proof than at the moment?

Mr. Gammans

The break was discovered within half-an-hour of the cable having been cut. With regard to the other suggestion, I do not think that the Post Office could be put to this enormous expense to help the bookies.

Mr. Nicholson

What odds would my hon. Friend lay on the discovery of the miscreants?

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Is this not an example of private enterprise, and why does the Minister want to interfere with it?

Mr. Nally

Can the Minister confirm whether or not there is any truth in the stories that are being circulated that the knowledge of what this cable did and the ability to decide at what particular point it could be broken could never have been discovered by an ordinary layman but only by someone with technical knowledge? Is there any truth in that?

Mr. Gammans

There is not an iota of truth in it. It was perfectly obvious to anybody that this cable served the race course, and it did not require very much skill for a cut to be made.

Mr. Nally

Will the hon. Gentleman emphasise that, in view of the fact that a good deal of annoyance has been caused to certain sections of the Post Office industry by the widely-circulated Press stories that this thing could not have been arranged without technical knowledge?

Mr. Gammans

If any annoyance has been caused to the Post Office staff, they certainly have not complained to me about it.