'We could have no phone signal for a whole year'

Councillor Swin Purple said she had to buy a "burner" phone

A town's residents are facing the prospect of a year with no mobile phone signal after a mast operated by provider EE was taken down.

The situation has arisen in Burscough, Lancashire, where EE customers had connected to the network via the mast positioned at the top of Martland Mill in the town's Mart Lane.

However, the owners of the mill served telecoms infrastructure provider Cellnex with a "notice to quit" order to remove the huge antenna, in order to free up office space in August.

Planning permission was granted for another mast in the area on 15 September, but EE had no plans to install it before August 2026.

Shop owners described the situation as "an absolute nightmare", while local councillor Swin Purple said she was forced to buy "a burner phone" on a different network.

Ms Purple added: "It's affecting so many people, it's affecting local businesses, people who work from home. I spoke to a mother who was struggling to make medical appointments."

EE has apologised and said it was liaising with local authorities in the hope of finding a temporary solution.

Other mobile networks that used the EE mast have also been affected, including Three and O2.

Martland Mill in 2023, with the EE mast on the roof of the building

Jane Howarth, who owns Janies Tearoom, said her card machine would not operate without a mobile signal.

Next door to the tearoom is the dog groomer Short Bark 'N' Sides, owned by Shannon Tedford.

"I can't use my shop phone, people ring and can't hear anything. I've been having to use my personal phone to contact customers," she said.

Ms Tedford described her phone provider as "not very helpful".

"They can't offer you anything, no compensation, nothing like that."

Jane Howarth's card machine was disrupted by the lack of signal

Consumer rights expert Martyn James said customers should be able to seek compensation from their phone provider, "given that they are not providing the service they contracted to give you".

"You can also ask to leave the contract without penalties if there's another service provider who can give you a better signal," he added.

Mr James also recommending contacting the Communications Ombudsman, which may be useful if the mobile phone companies "don't play ball".

Short Bark 'N' Sides is next door to Janies tearoom.

In a statement, EE said it apologised for "the continued frustration caused by the loss of mobile coverage in Burscough following the removal of the mast at Martland Mill".

"We're committed to restoring service as quickly as possible," it said.

"Planning permission for a new permanent mast site has now been granted and we, alongside the other mobile network impacted by this, are working through the legal stages which must be concluded before construction can begin.

"We continue to liaise with the local authority to pursue a temporary solution to provide interim mobile coverage and remain in close contact with stakeholders across the community to progress both sites and minimise the impact on residents and local businesses."