NATCHEZ — Since Tuesday, an unknown number of AT&T customers across Natchez have been with out phone and Internet service.

AT&T spokeswoman Sue Sperry said the outage was caused when a contractor working near the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Main streets cut through three cable lines.

The contractors were not working for AT&T, Sperry said.

Sperry said it was rare for so many lines to be damaged so severely.

And that damage has created a headache for local businesses.

At Lairds Barber &Style Center, on Franklin Street, incoming calls had to be rerouted to employee’s cell phones so that they could continue to book clients.

Bruce Laird works at the shop and said the lack of phone service has created a great inconvence for his business.

“We work by appointment,” Laird said. “And if they (customers) can’t make appointments, we’re just standing around.”