About 10,000 homes and businesses in western Sydney are without phone, internet and EFTPOS services after vandals cut Telstra communications cables. Telstra customers in Blacktown could be without home phone, mobile, internet and EFTPOS services for most of the weekend, after vandals severed two fibre optic cables in the area about 8am (AEST).

Customers in Rooty Hill, Erskine Park, Arndell Park, and Shalvey had also been affected by the damage, Telstra spokesman Warwick Ponder said. "We believe it will take most of the weekend because it is quite a severe case of vandalism," he said. "It has obviously caused some significant disruption to the community, and possibly even putting lives at risk in terms of them not being able to use their home phones for a considerable time. "This is a stupid, criminal act and the community should be rightly outraged."

He said crews were working around the clock to repair the damage.

Police were investigating the attack, Mr Ponder said.