Telephone service in Renfrew County has been fully restored after a Bell line was accidentally cut early Tuesday afternoon.

Construction crews inadvertently cut the line, also affecting cellphone service in the area.

Service was restored by 9 p.m. that night.

Mike Nolan, the county's director of emergency services, says the disruption highlights the importance of first-aid training and being prepared for any emergency situation, given that 911 service was also out.

"The best medicine is for people to be able to help themselves in those first few minutes of any emergency ... and then get help however it's available," Nolan said.

Nolan said there are no reports of any residents who required medical attention but were unable to get it during the eight-hour outage.