CableVision said yesterday the service to Gavin Wilson, the boss of rival World on Wireless (WOW), broke down last week because of rust on a support wire.

But Mr. Wilson reacted with disbelief because he and his wife Linda personally watched a CableVision team fit brand new cable and support wire just five weeks earlier.reported yesterday that on Friday CableVision issued a writ against WOW and the Department of Telecommunications after WOW was awarded a licence to set up a rival television company.

Mr. Wilson said some time during that day his cable service was ripped out by someone who had to have specialist knowledge and climb a 30 foot pole before unravelling heavy galvanised wire.

CableVision said yesterday rust on the support wire had caused the equipment to fall to the ground, and it was not an act of sabotage.

But Mr. Wilson said: ?I just don?t believe it because myself and my wife watched them when they put up a brand new cable in November 15 this year, fresh off the spool, that included support wire. Fresh cable, fresh wire as of November 15.

?It is copper and an aluminium shield, and aluminium doesn?t rust. And they used a galvanised messenger cable that was inside a PVC shield ? and the cable was still inside it.

?It is definitely not the case that there was rust because it came off a new cable off the spool.

?Why do I think CableVision think it?s rust? I haven?t a clue. I don?t know.

?If that cable had not been changed I would say ?OK, it?s fair?, but because it was new, I don?t believe it.?

In a statement yesterday, CableVision said: ?During a service call to Gavin Wilson?s house this morning we discovered that the wire which supported the cable between his home and the power pole had rusted and fallen to the ground. It was clearly not an act of sabotage, but merely the work of Mother Nature. We replaced the cable and Mr. Wilson?s service is now up and running once again.

?We find it most disturbing that he would insinuate that Cablevision had taken some untoward action against a paying customer, particularly given the many possible causes of this situation.

?We hope in the future he will call his service provider first, so that a technical expert can come out and ascertain the source of the problem, before creating an embarrassing incident.?