A Northallerton campaigner has highlighted growing concerns about the risk to the vulnerable from a nationwide switch from analogue to digital home phones.
Derek Brown, 71, said he received a letter from BT in October advising that his phone service would become digital.
BT’s digital changeover sees the traditional handset replaced by a new digital phone that relies on the internet for calls to be made.
However, critics say this puts the vulnerable at risk as they would not be able to call for help in the event of a power cut, which would prevent the home phone from working.
Mr Brown, who is a full-time carer for his wife Margaret, who has dementia, said he assumed he would be able to opt in to the new service if he wanted.
However, last month he received a text saying that his digital voice service would start the following day.
“I contacted BT over the internet and established that they would provide up to two voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phones, free of charge.
“They arrived the following day but until then I had to use my pay as you go mobile phone which ran out of credit on the first call.
“My wife has Alzheimer’s Disease and telephone contact is vital should there be any domestic crisis.
“What was not made clear was that the changeover took place without any consultation.
“All the internal telephone sockets within the house become redundant, any remote ringers around the house stop working and the new system is totally reliable on a fully operational modem/hub.”
Mr Brown said that in the event of a power cut the phones and the modem stop working.
“The actual changeover to VoIP in its present form is likely to cause stress to many vulnerable people.
“And in the event that there is an electricity power cut, the change to VoIP in its present form would cause the loss of both internet connection and the loss of telephone connection which may cause a serious risk to the lives of around three million Vulnerable people and possibly, as many as 12.4 Million people over 65.
BT said in a response to criticism about the changeover last month: “We have put precautions in place to exclude older or vulnerable customers from the digital voice migration while we look into solutions that can help those customers who cannot access or do not want broadband or a mobile phone in their home.”
Earlier this year, Mr Brown launched a petition to highlight an issue which means some councils — including Hambleton and Richmondshire — insist households which have someone living with dementia prove they are entitled to a related benefit before they receive a discount on a council tax bill.
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