An elderly man living alone in a rural home says he has been left “completely helpless” after losing his landline and broadband more than two weeks ago, cutting him off from emergency services.

With no mobile phone signal at the property since January 6, Clive Corner, 77, has no way of calling for help if he becomes ill or injured — a situation his family say is “potentially life-threatening”.

Mr Corner lives alone on Frensham Lane between Headley and Churt. He said the prolonged outage has left him frightened to even move around his home.

“I feel deathly paralysed. I literally can’t do a thing. It really is a matter of life and death. It’s crazy,” he said.

“Not only am I scared to do anything because I would be completely helpless if something happened, but we don’t realise how much of a role the internet plays in our lives now. It feels like being on the moon.”

The situation is particularly alarming because Mr Corner suffered a serious accident last year.

“In 2024 I had a fall from just a small step which led to two brain bleeds,” he said. “It means I am even more terrified of hurting myself now and what would happen if I did. I feel BT is really endangering lives.”

His partner, Izzy Hutchison, who works in London and does not live with him, said the situation was unacceptable.

“Clive is 77 and lives alone. It’s dangerous,” she said. “Openreach need to fix the line. Being cut off from the internet is bad enough, but being cut off from the emergency services is completely unacceptable.”

Attempts to provide a temporary mobile router were slow and offered only intermittent connectivity. Despite repeated calls to BT, no repair date has been given, leaving the couple anxious and uncertain.

BT was contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publishing.