Phone mast engineers have been shot at by an air rifle while trying to carry out repairs, EE has told its customers.

The mobile network operator says this is why it has been unable to improve its poor signal in Greenhithe.

In a text message sent to customers this morning, EE said: "We've got to resolve some health and safety issues on site before it's safe for the engineers.

"The affected mast is currently out of bounds, pending a police investigation into reports of air rifle shots being fired at engineers attending the site.

"Once we've got the all clear, engineers can get to work"

It added the next update would be on June 3.

Residents in Greenhithe and the Worchester park estate have taken to Facebook to vent their frustration at the patchy network coverage which has blighted them in recent months.

One disgruntled EE customer told KentOnline: "EE has been very poor in many parts of Greenhithe since Christmas.

"I could show you pages and pages of excuses from EE why its down... but this isn't helping people during lockdown."

The customer fears the air rifle incident may have been the work of people mistakenly believing engineers are working on a 5G mast.

Conspiracy theories have been circulating the web in recent weeks linking the technology to Covid-19.

It comes as engineers across the country have reported a rise in attacks on themselves and vandalism of mobile phone masts which are believed to be fuelled by the conspiracies.

An EE spokesman said: “We want to apologise to customers in the Greenhithe area who may be experiencing intermittent service. We’re taking the required precautions to ensure our engineers can safely access the site to carry out the work needed to restore full service.”

Police have been contacted for comment.

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