CALLS are being made for new phone masts to be installed in south Gwynedd to ensure better mobile phone coverage on its roads.

The call comes after figures from the RAC reveal that Gwynedd has been named as one of the worst places to break down or have an accident in the whole of the UK as 172 miles of roads in the county has no mobile phone signal at all.

The A494 which runs through Meirionnydd, Denbighshire and Flintshire into England was highlighted by the RAC as one of the worst roads in the British Isles for phone coverage.

Cllr Eryl Jones-Williams, who represents Dyffryn Ardudwy on Gwynedd Council and is also carers champion for the county, said he agreed that the mobile phone situation in the area is diabolical, especially along the Ardudwy coast and the mountainous areas of south Gwynedd.

He said: “I have been told that we get our signal from a mast in Pwllheli.

“But the distance is affected by the amount of people using the signal, such as bank holidays when the Dwyfor area is very busy and everyone is using their ipads. As we are at the end of the signal and it is a busy weekend the result is no signal.

“That effects the carers for vulnerable people in this area when they have to contact each other if there are road blocks or accidents and they can’t get through.

“What I have done is purchase a Sure Signal from Vodafone, it cost me £100, and connected it to my wi-fi.

“I have put all the carers who come to visit my disabled wife on the system and when they are at my house they get a signal and it helps to get their messages.

“On the downside, and when it goes wrong, you cannot contact Vodafoone for love or money.

“I travel a lot with my work as Gwynedd Carers Champion and it is only when you get to urban areas that you get a signal.

“I think that the Welsh Government in conjunction with Ofcom should ensure that rural areas get a proper mobile phone signal and that the planning authorities like the Snowdonia National Park should approve all applications for new masts if it ensures a better mobile phone service.”