BT's Openreach announced this weekend that a cut cable resulted in "significant damage" to networks across east London, resulting in widespread disruption to internet connections.

Following a weekend of disruption, in which tens of thousands of individuals were affected including a number of small businesses in IT, the company announced that it had restored some 70 per cent of the network by the close of Sunday.

BT Openreach believes that it could be up to a few days before service resumes in the affected areas, with other internet service providers using BT lines also possibly being hit by the online blackouts.

The cables affected are found 32 metres below street level and there is restricted access to the area, with the London Underground's routes also complicating matters.

It is understood that damage was caused by contractors working on the lines themselves near the Blackwall Tunnel.

Openreach is currently promoting First Mile, the company's corporate social responsibility programme, aiming to make significant contributions to the country through an improvement of human communication skills.

More than half of small businesses (53 per cent) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support. London-based Connect conducted the research in 2007.