Villagers bemoan 'appalling' phone signal

Residents and workers in a Staffordshire village have expressed their frustration at the lack of phone signal in the area.

eSIM provider Nomad named Rushton Spencer one of the worst areas in the country for phone signal, alongside Rugeley and East Anstey in Devon.

Jordan Cottrell, who is a chef at local pub The Knot Inn, described it as "the worst reception I think I've ever had in my life."

"There's no signal whatsoever here. It's unbelievable," he despaired, having once missed his girlfriend's birthday party because of poor connectivity.

Janette Pickford runs The Knot Inn and said poor mobile service meant her customers struggled to get in touch

Janette Pickford, who runs The Knot Inn, said customers struggled to get in touch to alter reservations and book taxis.

Her frustration is shared by Ben Salman-Lord, landlord of the Royal Oak, given that running a business requires him to be on his phone "quite a lot."

"It can be anything really - staff trying to ring in sick, suppliers that want to check things on orders and they send it and it's completely wrong," said Mr Salman-Lord.

An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We know that too many areas still struggle for a signal."

"We’re taking action by making more airwaves available to boost reception. With the industry, we're looking at ways to provide people with better information so they can choose the services and providers that best meet their needs."

"We’re also working with the UK government and mobile industry on the rollout of the shared rural network, which will bring coverage improvements across the UK.”

Council solutions

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council was in the process of developing a pilot project to provide alternative broadband schemes for hard to reach places in rural areas, leader Mike Gledhill said.

"We are also working with Staffordshire County Council to investigate options for providing support to areas where telecommunications are poor," he added.

"Rushton Spencer will be one of the areas that will be looked at as part of these projects.”