What is this white box which fell off wall, exposing a cable?

[tortoyse]

This white box was in my son's student flat, on an outside wall, under his desk at ground floor level. Is it just an old tv/internet socket? He's not sure if the cable is dangerous and he ideally wants to know what it is before reporting it to his (difficult) landlord.

Looks like it could have been an old phone line.

Old phone line.
No, not dangerous.

It's an old phone line.
Chances are previous tenants had new lines put in the property when they changed suppliers. It's possibly dead and it isn't dangerous.

It looks like it has been knocked about over the years and has broken loose. You can buy these cases on eBay as it looks like the screw attachments have possibly broken off. They should come with the screws to attach it in place.

However, looking at the wall plugs, it looks like they have been knocked loose. So these would need filling and then the new cover put in its place.

And yes, do contact the landlord and inform him. We always inform our landlord but my DP is great at DIY and electrical stuff so our landlord just pays for the parts and he does the work. It is also a good way to record all of the repairs whilst your son is living there in case of any disputes.