No mobile phone signal in Hebden Bridge: Good news for Calderdale people told they could be without mobile signal until April 2026
Residents in part of Calderdale told they could be without mobile signal for five months should be able to use their phones again next week.
As reported by the Courier, many living in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd suddenly lost their signal on October 20, causing huge disruption for individuals and businesses.
Some say they were told they may not be reconnected until April 2026.
It is understood the disruption came after a phone mast in that part of Calderdale was removed – without any warning to mobile phone customers.
But today MP for the Calder Valley Josh Fenton-Glynn has announced he understands coverage should be restored next week.
The MP has been pressing phone companies for urgent action and raised the matter with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade Liz Lloyd, whose responsibilities include telecoms.
Mr Fenton-Glynn said: “I'm pleased to say I have heard today that following pressure from the minister, a temporary solution has been found which should mean that signal will return from next week.
"For those interested in the technical side, the temporary solution is an alternative 'microwave connection' to the mast serving Hebden.
"These are often used in rural areas. Planning permission has been submitted for a new permanent site which should be in place early next year."
He urged customers who have been hit by the signal outage to contact their providers’ customer services to discuss “appropriate compensation”.
"Whilst we await the restoration of service, please enable WiFi calling. I have also been assured that in the event of an emergency, 999 calls will go through on any available network,” he added.
"I know how hard this has been for people and businesses, and will keep up the pressure to secure the long-term digital connectivity our communities need.”
In his letter to the phone company bosses, Mr Fenton-Glynn said people having to wait months until full service was restored was “simply unacceptable”.
He added he had been made aware that other nearby masts had been boosted to provide a better signal in the area but this was “yet to be felt by many who are still without signal”.