FRUSTRATED residents in one area of Warrington slam network provider after having had ‘zero phone signal’ in months.

Parents specifically have raised concerns about being unable to contact their children during and after school due to the ongoing issue – with many having lodged complaints with the phone network Vodafone.

Speaking on the absence of phone signal in the Appleton area, resident Stewart Harris told the Warrington Guardian: “For the last two to four months the mobile phone signal and data coverage in the Bridgewater High School and Dudlow Green area has been non-existent.

“I first started noticing it in June and July - anytime I went to the co-op there was no signal.”

He continued: “For me, the much bigger issue is that I have two daughters at Bridgewater High School and if there is a change of plans or they have a club or whatever it maybe we just can’t get hold of them which is both frustrating and worrying.”

The dad-of-two explained that when he reported the issue to Vodafone, he was told they ‘Do not guarantee coverage’. “That’s like a car making company saying they don’t guarantee brakes,” he added.

Stewart was also told it would be the same with all networks in the area and was advised that work was set to take place on the local phone mast last Wednesday (October 2) but as the day has been and gone, the unhappy resident has stated things are still the same if not worse than before.

Taking to social media about the issue, the parent was met with a string of comments from Appleton resident reporting they had experienced the same issues with signal.

One resident agreed with the complaint made on the Facebook post, saying: “Yes. I am with Vodafone and have the exact same issue. Used Voda for years and always been great, but the last six months or so have been terrible.”

Meanwhile another said: “We have experienced exactly what you describe. So much so that earlier we had a discussion about switching.”

One lady highlighted that the issue has grown worse as of late, adding: “Yes same issues over the last couple of weeks, same areas of no coverage on Vodafone.

“It’s definitely a recent issue and something has changed.”

People on the 02 network have reported the same issue in Appleton.

Speculation around what is causing the signal block in the area has been rife, with Mr Harris stating that he was told by Vodafone the rise in new houses being built maybe a factor as demand for signal increases.

“Vodafone even suggested my children walk home a different route in ‘good coverage areas’,” he said, branding the suggestion as ‘ridiculous’.

Weighing in on this, another resident on the Facebook thread said: “My partner was told by Vodafone that the latest Apple update has caused the problem and that we have to wait until Apple do a new update.

“We are on London Road and have zero network unless we are on Wi-fi.”

A spokesperson from Vodafone addressed the claims of ‘zero network coverage’ in the area, saying: “We're sorry to our customers affected by issues with their services.

“We are aware of the performance issues in the Appleton area and are working hard to get this solved as soon as possible.

“We encourage our customers to sign up to Network Checker to receive status updates regarding network issues."