Fed-up neighbours desperate for better mobile phone signal have launched a petition calling for a 'long-overdue' 5G mast to be installed near their homes.

More than 140 people across Park Farm and Bridgefield in Ashford have backed the campaign asking for the borough council and Kingsnorth Parish Council to help them discuss ways to improve signal in the area.

Residents in other parts of Kent – including Smarden – have opposed the installation of masts but John Hopley, who has lived in Park Farm for 26 years, hopes the petition can help finally put an end to the issues.

"I have a home office but if I'm on my mobile, the signal can just drop out which isn't ideal," said the 58-year-old, who runs a publishing business from home.

"I can do wi-fi calling and I use the good old-fashioned landline but these days a lot of people just use mobiles so if I happen to be in the wrong part of the house when the calls come in, it just cuts out completely.

"Phone companies provide a coverage map. Most of Park Farm is showing as perfectly fine for 4G inside and out but that is not the reality.

"That's why we're campaigning for a mast which is about 20 years' overdue."

Park Farm resident Sue Heley says a mast was first promised when she moved into her home in 1995, yet nothing has been done.

"I can only make phone calls if I go upstairs; if I'm downstairs it won't ring at all," the 67-year-old said.

"What's worse is my landline has been taken away and I have been given digital voice.

"If we have any power cuts, I have no means of contacting anybody.

"We were told the signal would be sorted when we moved in.

"We just need coverage, anyone would think we lived in the middle of nowhere. It's about time we had a mast to sort this."

The petition is being backed by Park Farm North Cllr Trish Cornish (Ashford Independents) who also lives on the estate and knows just how poor phone coverage can be.

She said: "Ashford is a thriving town with an international station, it's served by two motorways, why is it we can’t achieve better signal in the area?

"During lockdown, lots of residents and families of resident's couldn't get through to their doctor's surgery because their signal is bad and they can't hear.

"Some don't have wi-fi calling, and even for those who do, it doesn't always work.

'The council is doing all it can to encourage digital connectivity...'

"Most residents that I speak to say the signal is awful, no matter which network they're with.

"I don't think the location of the mast is for us to decide, the companies can decide where it is best suited."

In 2011, plans for a mast at the junction between Reed Crescent and Bluebell Road were submitted however the scheme never took off.

There were several objection comments from residents at the time concerned about a mast being an 'eye-sore' and expressing concerns over its location.

Plans for a mast in Bluebell Road were again submitted last year but were refused alongside plans for a mast at junction of Claudius Grove and Britannia Lane in Kingsnorth.

Those signing the latest petition hope phone companies will consider trying again by showing there is public support for it.

A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council said: “The council is doing all it can to encourage digital connectivity improvements right across the borough so if the community at Park Farm / Kingsnorth want to enter into a discussion with mobile providers about this, we could facilitate an introduction.

"Of course any new mast proposal would be subject to the usual planning application protocols.

A spokesperson from Kingsnorth Parish Council said: "Residents are welcome to attend parish meetings to raise issues such as the signal coverage with councillors, we invited the petitioner to speak at our last meeting.

"We appreciate that the signal is poor in some areas of the parish and are broadly supportive of improvements.

"We must consider individual applications on their merits when the application is submitted.

"We made no objection to the Park Farm mast submitted last year but objected to the mast in Roman Ward.

"For both we suggested locations we felt were more appropriate and the applicant withdrew their applications.

To view the petition, click here