CAMPAIGNERS are lobbying for action to boost mobile phone coverage across the Cotswolds.

Many parts of the largely rural district are very poorly served by network operators and some areas have no signal at all, meaning people are unable to call for help in an emergency.

At a Cotswold District Council meeting on Tuesday evening, members voted unanimously to back a motion for chief executive David Neudegg to work with phone companies and Ofcom to improve coverage.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, a district and county councillor, introduced the motion at the meeting and said it is important the situation was improved.

“If you live in an isolated village or travel on quiet roads you want some reassurance that you can contact someone easily,” he said.

“Better mobile coverage not only adds to personal security but also is essential for running a business from home.

“There are many businesses based in our villages and they need easy communication.”

Cllr Hodgkinson added he believed only some of the more populated areas in the south of the district were covered by modern high-speed 3G or 4G signals.

“It’s time we had a fair and decent service right across the area,” he said. “We all pay for our phones so we expect to be able to use them.”

The call has also won the backing of Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who said the issue not only affected residents but also causes problems for businesses in the district.

“Poor mobile phone signal hampers businesses from undertaking daily and routine tasks,” he said. "Improved coverage is something I have been campaign for over a long period.”

Mr Clifton-Brown said he had discussed the issue with Gloucestershire business leaders this week.

“The Local Enterprise Partnership has told me that it is possible for BT to install phone masts, which would improve mobile phone signal, at relatively low cost, at the same time as they install broadband as part of the Fastershire initiative,” he said.

Fastershire is a project run by BT in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council to improve broadband speeds in the counties.