FRUSTRATED phone users are calling on a network operator to give them answers after seven weeks of sub-standard signal due to a broken phone mast.

Several O2 customers in Bampton, which is the nearest village to the faulty mast, have experienced issues making calls since the problem was first reported on August 2.

Engineers carried out tests in the area yesterday but were unable to identify the issue and will return to the site this week.

During the period, a message on O2’s website has said a mast in the OX18 postcode was ‘not working’, but yesterday this changed to say the network was ‘working well’.

However the issues continued and residents have been unable to get further information from the telecommunications giant.

Bampton resident Maurizio Fantato, who has to redial when making calls due to the faulty mast, said: “They’re an absolute nightmare in terms of communication.

“I tried to contact them on social media and they referred me to the standard information page.

“It’s like a copy-and-paste exercise, there’s no indication of how they will contact the users that have been affected.”

Customers were initially unable to send texts, make calls or use data, but in recent weeks many have experienced similar problems to Mr Fantato.

This comes as West Oxfordshire district councillors Ted Fenton, of Bampton ward, and Andrew Beaney prepare a motion calling on the government to introduce legally binding targets for networks to extend 4G coverage.

Figures from communications regulator Ofcom’s Connected Nations report show that in January 2018, 59 per cent of premises in West Oxfordshire did not have reliable 4G coverage from all four mobile phone networks.

Mr Fenton said: “Getting action on this might take some time but I hope O2 and others might take note that we are not happy with a sub-standard service.”

O2 spokesperson Jemma Johns said: “We apologise to our customers who may be experiencing some intermittent issues when using their mobile in the Bampton area.

“Our engineers will be carrying out further tests in the area this week to understand more about the issues raised by some of our customers.”