Wigan is among UK areas that are least prepared for an internet blackout
If the internet crashed for a prolonged amount of time, it turns out that our borough would be worst placed than most to deal with it
Wigan is among the UK cities and areas less prepared to cope if a major internet outage disrupted card payments, online banking and other digital services, new research suggests.
A ranking by Wolfstone Digital compared 61 cities using access to services that could become particularly important during widespread disruption, including free cash locations, food shops, pharmacies, healthcare facilities, Post Offices and libraries. Geographic 4G coverage was also considered as a possible temporary backup.
Wigan ranks 46th out of the 61 locations analysed.
The area has 8.43 free cash locations per 10,000 premises, alongside 12.86 food shops, 3.68 healthcare locations and 2.43 Post Offices.
Wigan also records 1.87 pharmacies and 0.94 libraries per 10,000 premises. Its geographic 4G coverage across all four major mobile networks stands at 98.99 per cent.
Norwich ranks as the UK city best prepared for an internet outage, followed by Stirling, Oxford, Lancaster and Nottingham.
Adam Woodhead, tech expert at Wolfstone Digital, said: “An extended internet outage could affect payments, banking, communications and access to important information. Areas with free cash points and essential services nearby would give residents more practical alternatives while digital systems were unavailable.
“Mobile coverage may provide a temporary backup during a broadband outage, but it cannot be relied upon during every type of disruption. Keeping some cash available, writing down essential phone numbers and knowing where your nearest pharmacy and Post Office are can make a real difference.”