Phone signal trackers added to bin lorries

Councillor Adam Kent (left) said issues with connectivity had a "huge impact" on businesses and communities

Waste collection lorries in Worcestershire have now started to be equipped with technology to collect data on mobile connectivity.

The aim of the project is to identify areas where connectivity can be improved, with Worcestershire County Council claiming the information gathered would be used to inform businesses, local authorities and residents about issues.

The initiative is being run by a group of councils which have been awarded £3.75m of funding from the government.

The River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region was awarded the money to support the growth of wireless innovation and technology.

The group comprises eight English and Welsh councils that cover the River Severn catchment area.

The partnership is comprised of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Powys, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Warwickshire and Worcestershire councils

Devices containing four smartphones are being added to bin lorries

Devices containing four smartphones, one on each mobile network, are being put into trucks.

This would provide insights into issues in every area of the county, Worcestershire County Council said, as crews complete their routes over the coming weeks.

Streetwave, which creates mobile network performance maps across the UK, has been enlisted to support.

Henry Rutland, operations director at Streetwave, said the scheme represented "the largest mobile coverage survey ever undertaken across the UK".

Data would be collected across 31,780km (19,747 miles) of roads across the River Severn region, he added.

The scheme represented "the largest mobile coverage survey ever undertaken across the UK," Streetwave said

Worcestershire County Council said the partnership would collaborate with regulator Ofcom and mobile providers to "address and resolve identified connectivity issues in addition to lobbying government".

To help gather more information, the council is also launching a survey for residents and businesses to log locations and times where connectivity is poor.

Its cabinet member for economy and skills, Adam Kent, said the first step was getting a better understanding of where issues were and "with the data collection from the bin lorries, this will help".

He added the council would like to hear from residents in order "to fill the gaps".

Mr Rutland said information would be used to identify communities and businesses "that may not have access to effective mobile signal" so that improvements could be made, ultimately benefiting "3.5 million residents in the region".