MOBILE phone coverage in the much of Dorset remains "appalling" – Dorset councillors have been told.

Cllr Ray Bryan who represented St Leonards and St Ives says that on the drive from his home to County Hall in Dorchester, along the A31, he has no signal for two thirds of the trip.

"I find that appalling because that's the main commuter route for all the heavy lorries and it features very heavily in the new highways plans where they will make improvements, and on the A35, yet the mobile phone coverage is awful," he said.

Cllr Bryan says his parish council has become heavily involved in trying to discover why the area has such poor mobile and broadband services.

"This effects all residents, not just in my area, but across the whole county. I think we have been short-changed," he told Dorset Council's place and resources policy scrutiny committee.

Lack of signal is problematic for farmers in an increasingly technological industry

Cllr Bryan said that many businesses in rural parts of the county struggled to get a decent signal with the same applying to many farmers, an industry increasingly using technology.

"Without a decent service we are going to struggle to attract business which can create jobs," said Cllr Bryan.

He said that at his home to get a reasonable signal he is having to pay for a satellite connection for broadband.

Cllr Bryan said there were many residents in his area who were disappointed by what was seen as the lack of resolve at Dorset Council to solve the problem by pressing providers to better their services.

"Going forward we need to get a real grip on this and we need to set some real targets," he said.

Cllr Noc Lacey-Clarke said in his Blandford ward while he could usually get a mobile signal for voice any attempts to use the phone for data, or video streaming, had recently become impossible.

The debate comes after Dorset Council produced its own service showing actual coverage levels for mobile phone signals, collated via its fleet of refuse vehicles travelling about the county – an exercise which led many to question why there is such a difference between 'official' figures from the providers for their coverage and the reality as tested by the council.

The checker can be found at dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/mobile-connectivity-and-coverage.