The town where you can’t get a phone signal

People living in Middleton have struggled for years with a problem that would baffle many modern day residents.

The area that sits between Rochdale and Manchester has become a signal dead spot.

Strolling through the market town, depending on your mobile phone network, you might see the little bars in the top left corner of your device looking minimal.

Not having mobile signal is something you could expect in the remote corners of the Outer Hebrides, but in a town six miles from one of the largest cities in the UK, it seems bizarre.

The reason for the recent problems is due to vandalism at a mast on the top of the Warwick Mill in the centre of Middleton, according to local MP Elsie Blundell.

After complaints from constituents, the Heywood and Middleton North MP investigated the issue and found out the damaged mast provided crucial coverage to the area.

She has since been working with telecoms company Cornerstone and Rochdale Borough Council to replace the mast – or find another solution.

For locals basking in Middle Garden’s Spring sunshine, this is an all too familiar issue. They just want the inconvenience to be over.

Ashley Wakefield lives in the town centre area, he says it’s been a problem for around three years.

“It can be a struggle to get 4G and ring people,” - “I’m a foster carer, so it’s a real problem for me.

“There have been times I’ve had to go into the shopping centre to use the Wi-Fi to get my bus pass to work. It’s super inconvenient.

“It has been a big thing for a while and it’s spoken about a lot as an issue.”

He explained that even at his house the signal can be weak. Ashley even had a friend who changed his phone contract just because of the poor network connection.

Just a few benches down, young couple Jack and Nicole take a break from their lunch to weigh in. Both agreed the problem had been present for around three years.

Jack said: “I work in recruitment and if I’m out and about I do need to be on the phone. It’s peaceful for an hour for lunch, but I need to do my job.

“My boss lives in the middle of nowhere and gets a better signal than here.”

Nicole added: “It’s awful. But it’s not always been an issue, as it was fine when she first started working in the town centre four years ago.

“It’s 2025 and we haven’t got phone signal here.”

Pat Vanvolsem, who lives in Alkrington, came into town for some shopping, but she’s never had a connectivity problem. Though the pensioner admits she never uses her phone when in town – she’s focused on the task at hand.

She told the LDRS: “I didn’t know there was a phone issue. That does surprise me.
“Well maybe people need to come to Middleton if they want to get away from their technology.”

Sixth form students Mackenzie Loftus and Liam Taylor were pointing out the signal dead spots in town, the major site being the shopping centre. For the younger generation connectivity is of the utmost importance – so it’s a hot topic at college, they said.

“If you want to send a message it definitely impacts you,” Liam explained.

Weighing in, Mackenzie joked: “Only on the outskirts you can get a signal, so it’s best to leave.”

So many people said they’d have trouble using their phones, but for businesses it is a bigger issue. Many people expect to use their bank cards for buying goods, but when the internet is needed to process the transactions, there are problems.

John Proctor, who works in Middleton, recalled: “I’ve had shopkeepers shouting me back saying it hasn’t got through. He came up the road with the machine in his hand.

“It was embarrassing because I bought a mate a sandwich and it looked like I couldn’t pay.”

Ali Salam, who runs Yours Phone Shop on the high street, confirmed transactions for card payments can be a struggle.

The businessman said: “I’ve been told that the signal is a problem. Lots of people say it’s because it’s a hilly area here but there isn’t a lot of info as to why it’s a problem.

“If you ask 10 people about this, nine will be complaining. I get people asking to sort their phones as a result. Sometimes transactions are tricky for mobile banking.”

Peter Winkler from Sign & Print Direct said his business had to install guest Wi-Fi to sort out the problem.

“We print there because a lot of people don’t have home printers anymore,” Peter said. “They come with what they want to print on the phone.

“We’ve had to set up a guest Wi-Fi network because the signal is so bad. Prior to that we’d have to suggest leaving the shop to get a signal – which seems counter-intuitive.”

The next steps

Just before Easter, Mrs Blundell managed to secure a meeting which brought together Cornerstone and Rochdale Borough Council. They agreed to work together to solve the problem for residents.

After agreement on all sides, the MP is hopeful that a strategic approach to mobile connectivity, working in-hand with Andy Burnham’s team, can address issues like digital poverty.

Elsie Blundell, MP for Heywood and Middleton North said: “As the MP, out and about in Middleton, I noticed there were a lot of comments and complaints from residents and businesses about the mobile signal. So I decided to look into it, ordering coverage maps from the House of Commons Library, asking experts from the industry and so on.

“After chasing the mobile companies for several months, I was finally able to meet with Cornerstone and understand the problems that had been occurring with their mast on top of the mill. Vandalism by a small group of people had left an entire town at risk of being disconnected and losing mobile signal.

“We all take our mobile signal for granted, but it’s actually extremely important to people and for commercial businesses to operate.

“Obviously, I’m angry that some heartless vandals could do that to our town. More importantly, though, we needed to find a replacement, soon, to get the town working again.”

There is an ambition to see a proposal and planning permission for a new mast quite soon.

A Cornerstone spokesperson said: “At Cornerstone, we recognise that mobile infrastructure plays a visible role in the communities we serve, and we take that responsibility seriously.

“Engaging with local stakeholders is a fundamental part of our approach. Cornerstone met with local representatives including Elsie Blundell MP to discuss mobile phone network connectivity in Middleton Town Centre in April 2024.

“We had a constructive conversation about developments currently being assessed by the local planning authority.

“Our priority is to work collaboratively and transparently with the local planning authority to meet connectivity needs in a way that respects the local environment and community.”