A great-grandmother has been left in tears after a faulty telephone connection has made her life a misery.

Kathleen Peck of Walthams Place, Pitsea, relies on her phone to keep in regular contact with Basildon Hospital and her family.

The 75-year-old widow suffers from a string of medical conditions. Since Christmas Eve, when her phone went wrong, she has felt isolated and has been worried sick.

Kathleen said: "It has made the last week a misery for me and my family - I am so worried. I keep breaking down and crying, Christmas has been terrible - I can't keep in touch with my daughter or the hospital."

Kathleen's 34-year-old daughter Debbie Peck who lives in Ashfields, Basildon is also angry and upset about the situation.

A spokesman for BT said: "We are going to do our utmost to get something sorted out by the end of the week."

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