Poor mobile phone signal is still a major problem for people in Monmouthshire according to a survey of residents in the county.

Hundreds of locals have responded to a survey which found less than a fifth of mobile users have access to what they would consider a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ reception within the county.

Over 700 residents responded to the survey launched by the county’s MP, Catherine Fookes, who said it is clear the poor service is having a material impact on daily life.

“Residents across Monmouthshire have been clear,” she said.

“Poor phone signal is having a real impact on their daily lives. People should not be struggling to make calls in an emergency, missing important medical appointments or unable to work from home due to poor connectivity.”

72 per cent of respondents stated they had a ‘bad’ or ‘terrible’ phone signal at home while only 15.2 per cent described it as decent. 61.7 per cent said their signal was also bad more broadly at any point in Monmouthshire.

Meetings have been scheduled with broadband providers and network operators including Virgin Media, O2, VodafoneThree and BT EE, while a bespoke solution with Openreach has connected ten properties in Llandenny to full-fibre broadband.

But for the areas most affected by poor signal in the county, including Llanthony, Trellech, Llangwm and Mamhilad, the wait for a stronger connection could be longer.

“This is just the start,” Ms Fookes continued.

“I will now be sharing the full results and postcodes with Ministers and providers to keep up the pressure for improvements across Monmouthshire. I will encourage the sharing of masts and equipment as well as potential legislative changes to ensure we get the connectivity we need.?

“Decent connectivity is not a luxury anymore, it is essential.”