Wigan residents left without mobile phone signal for six months after mast is removed

A fed-up Wigan resident is calling for action after the removal of a mobile phone mast left her - and thousands of other people - without a signal for six months and counting.

The mast was located on a Wigan and Leigh College building and served EE, O2 and Vodafone Three customers in Swinley and the centre of Wigan.

But it was removed in April during the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the college’s main campus on Parsons Walk in Wigan.

So far the mast has not been replaced and Ruth Clifford, who lives in Swinley, fears it could be many more months before a mobile phone signal is restored.

While people can use wi-fi to make calls indoors, they have no reception at all outside.

Ruth said: “I am a carer for my elderly parents and I rely on my phone out of the house for calls for help, for example. I have got no signal and no texts are coming though. I’m not the only person affected.”

She believes many other people are struggling, including carers and nurses working in the community.

She went into Wigan’s EE shop to make inquiries and contacted Wigan MP Lisa Nandy about the situation, who replied with a letter from David Proctor, assistant director of planning and regeneration at Wigan Council.

He explained that the college looked into putting one of the operator’s masts on the new building, but this did not go ahead, while they also put them in contact with neighbouring land owners to discuss possible alternative locations.

Ruth, an EE customer, has been given a discount on her tariff for six months due to the issues.

She was told by the firm’s community support team that legal negotiations for a permanent mast were taking place in August, but by the beginning of October they had still not been completed.

She believes that once everything is in place, it would take a number of months for a mast to actually be erected.

Ruth said: “It really is a serious situation now. We are no further forward. We don’t have a temporary replacement mast and there is no sign of a permanent mast being found.”

An EE spokesperson said: “The mast at Wigan and Leigh College was not owned by EE.

“Following a legal notice to quit the site ahead of redevelopment of the college, we were required to remove our mobile equipment.

“We have since assessed a range of options to deliver the strongest replacement coverage to the local area and are progressing with a new permanent site, which we currently expect to become operational in early 2027.

“We apologise for any inconvenience to customers while this work is completed.”

EE said it is currently targeting early 2027 for the replacement site's completion, although this remains subject to planning, construction and other build-related factors.

It added that it is prioritising a permanent solution because it can be delivered sooner than a temporary alternative, while also providing a long-term coverage solution for local customers.

Ruth said she was now taking the matter up with the Ombudsman.

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