Businesses in two of Wales’s busiest resorts say unreliable mobile coverage is disrupting payments, bookings and everyday life

TWO of Wales’s best-known seaside towns, separated by more than 150 miles of coastline, are facing strikingly similar complaints about unreliable mobile phone coverage.

Residents and businesses in Llandudno have described struggling with weak or non-existent signals, failed card payments and difficulties using essential online services.

The complaints echo the long-running situation in Tenby, where traders, residents and visitors have repeatedly warned that the town’s mobile networks are unable to cope, particularly during the busy tourism season.

In both resorts, the problem is no longer being dismissed as a minor inconvenience. Businesses say poor connectivity is costing them money, while residents have raised concerns about missed medical calls and the ability to contact emergency services.

‘Unacceptable in 2026’

Llandudno Town Councillor Gareth Probert has called on mobile network operators to invest urgently in the town.

He said residents, businesses and visitors continued to encounter unreliable and sometimes non-existent mobile signals.

“This is unacceptable in 2026, and it is time that mobile network operators urgently invest in Llandudno’s infrastructure so that the community finally receives the level of service it deserves,” he said.

Conwy County Borough Council has described the problem as longstanding.

Businesses in the Victorian resort previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that failing connections were preventing card terminals from processing payments, leaving some customers unable to complete purchases.

The experience will sound familiar to traders in Tenby.

More than 500 Tenby complaints

In April, The Herald reported that more than 500 comments had been submitted after Tenby Chamber of Trade and Tourism and Around Tenby appealed for evidence about the town’s mobile coverage.

Complaints were received from customers using EE, Vodafone, O2, Three and numerous smaller providers operating through the four main networks.

Problems were reported across the town centre, High Street, harbour, beaches, the Esplanade, Frog Street, The Green, Tenby’s multi-storey car park and surrounding communities including Penally, New Hedges, Lydstep and Saundersfoot.

Traders said they were losing bookings because customers could not get through by telephone. Others reported failed mobile card payments, difficulties arranging taxis and problems communicating with delivery drivers.

Visitors also complained that they were unable to use parking applications, access maps, activate electric vehicle chargers or contact members of their group after becoming separated.

Some described having a better mobile signal on Caldey Island than in Tenby itself.

Safety concerns

The consequences reported in Tenby went beyond lost sales.

One person working from Tenby’s ambulance station said the signal problems had affected elements of ambulance operations. Another visitor said a group had struggled to communicate with an emergency call handler when an ambulance was needed on the beach.

The Herald previously spoke to a disabled Tenby resident who said unreliable coverage had caused him to miss calls from his doctor and the ambulance transport service regarding hospital appointments.

A local tradesman also reported losing work because prospective customers were unable to reach him.

The signal was described by one resident as being “worse than the 1990s”.

Tourist numbers expose weak networks

Both towns appear to experience problems that become considerably worse when visitor numbers increase.

Mobile coverage maps may show that a town has a signal, but that does not necessarily mean the network has enough capacity to serve thousands of additional users during school holidays, festivals and major events.

In Tenby, residents have frequently reported that phones display several signal bars while calls, messages and mobile data still fail.

Some users say the service is adequate during quieter winter months but deteriorates rapidly during the spring and summer.

This is an important distinction. Many government-backed programmes are designed to eliminate complete rural “not-spots”, where no mobile service exists.

Tenby’s problem is often one of congestion and insufficient capacity rather than the total absence of coverage. That has meant the town has repeatedly been left out of programmes such as the Shared Rural Network, despite the serious problems experienced on the ground.

Hope for Llandudno

There may now be some progress in Llandudno.

Mobile infrastructure company Cornerstone has secured permission for new telecommunications equipment at Venue Cymru on the town’s promenade.

The plans include six antennas on steel frames, transmission dishes, radio equipment and associated cabinets on the roof of the prominent council-owned building.

Conwy’s official planning record shows the application received final approval with conditions in October 2025.

Janet Finch-Saunders, the Senedd Member for Bangor Conwy Môn, said she had been holding discussions with Mostyn Estates and mobile providers about the town’s connectivity problems.

She said Vodafone had been the only major provider to bring forward a meaningful proposal and indicated that work connected with the Venue Cymru equipment was progressing.

The council has also explored allowing mobile operators to install smaller communications devices on streetlights and other publicly owned electrical infrastructure.

These “small cells” can provide additional capacity in busy town centres without requiring a large conventional mast.

Tenby still waiting

Tenby does not yet appear to have such a clear route towards resolving its problems.

Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell wrote to BT Group in April seeking an update on plans for a replacement telecommunications mast at Petals Plant Nursery on Strawberry Lane, Penally.

Pembrokeshire County Council has approved proposals to replace an existing 13-metre mast with a 20-metre structure intended to improve coverage for EE and Three customers.

Mr Tufnell also raised reports that a mast at Slippery Back Lane in Tenby had been removed without being replaced, leaving the town with severely reduced coverage.

He called for an urgent timetable for improvements before the summer season, warning that residents, businesses and tourists were being failed.

However, unlike Llandudno’s Venue Cymru scheme, there has yet to be a publicly confirmed date for a major improvement to become operational in Tenby.

A problem across coastal Wales

The similarities between Tenby and Llandudno suggest that poor mobile connectivity is not simply a rural Wales problem.

Historic seaside towns present particular challenges. Their narrow streets, protected buildings, sensitive landscapes and conservation areas can make it difficult to find suitable locations for large telecommunications structures.

At the same time, their populations can increase dramatically during the tourism season, placing intense pressure on infrastructure that may have been designed around the number of permanent residents.

Modern tourism also depends increasingly on mobile connectivity.

Visitors expect to use phones to reserve tables, book accommodation, pay for parking, order taxis, navigate unfamiliar streets and keep in contact with family members.

Businesses rely on the same networks for card machines, bookings, deliveries and communication with staff.

A poor signal can therefore damage the reputation of an entire destination, even where its beaches, attractions and hospitality businesses are otherwise performing well.

Llandudno may now be moving towards a practical solution through rooftop antennas and smaller street-level equipment.

For Tenby, the question remains whether mobile providers will deliver a similar coordinated response before another summer of congestion, failed payments and frustrated visitors.

The technology needed to improve coverage exists. What both towns have lacked is sufficient investment, infrastructure and urgency from the companies charging customers for a service they are too often unable to use.

Additional reporting by Richard Evans, Local Democracy Reporter.

Police have yet to release details of the collision which shut the road between Philbeach Road and Ratford Bridge

A PEMBROKESHIRE road has reopened after being closed for more than 14 hours following a collision late on Saturday night.

The B4327 between Philbeach Road and Ratford Bridge was first reported closed shortly before 11pm on Saturday, July 25.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed the closure in a public alert issued at 11:49pm, advising motorists to avoid the area and use alternative routes.

A police spokesperson said: “The B4327 Dale to Ratford Bridge road is currently closed due to a collision.

“Please avoid the area and find alternative routes for your journey.”

The road remained closed in both directions throughout Sunday morning, with traffic services reporting that vehicles were unable to pass through the area.

The closure continued until shortly after 2pm, with traffic updates showing the route had reopened by around 3pm on Sunday, July 26.

Dyfed-Powys Police has not yet released any further information about the circumstances of the collision, whether anyone was injured, or why the road remained closed for such a prolonged period.

The Herald has contacted the emergency services for further information.

Force responsible for policing Pembrokeshire criticised after an officer understated the amount stolen from a vulnerable care-home resident

A JUDGE has ordered a review by Dyfed-Powys Police after an error in calculating the value of fraudulent cheques left almost £4,000 missing from the compensation sought for an elderly victim.

Although the offences took place at a care home in Llanelli, the criticism concerns Dyfed-Powys Police, which is responsible for policing Pembrokeshire as well as Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Claire Harding, 34, and Kelly Jones, 45, stole £31,912 from 89-year-old William Jones while working in senior positions at the Haven care home.

Harding was the home’s manager, while Jones was the assistant manager.

The victim, who had experienced a mini-stroke and had difficulty writing, would sign blank or partly completed cheques intended to cover his care fees. The women had offered to complete the remaining details for him, but ten cheques were instead used to take money for themselves.

However, the fraud charge put before the court stated that £28,000 had been stolen, rather than the correct total of £31,912.

The court was told that a Dyfed-Powys Police officer had incorrectly added together the value of the ten cheques, creating a £3,912 shortfall.

The mistake emerged shortly before sentencing after the defendants had already repaid the £28,000 figure contained in the charge.

Prosecutor Harry Dickens asked the court to order each woman to pay a further £1,956 to make up the difference. Both agreed to pay the outstanding amounts.

Judge Huw Rees strongly criticised the police handling of the financial evidence and questioned how such a basic error had occurred in a serious fraud investigation involving only ten cheques.

He described the situation as “absolutely disgraceful” and said Dyfed-Powys Police needed to improve its handling of such cases. He also raised concerns about the length of the investigation, which had taken almost two years to reach court.

The judge requested a formal review into how the mistake was made.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the matter was being examined following the judge’s request and that a response would be provided after the findings had been presented to the court.

The fraud began in around March 2024, only a few months after Mr Jones had moved into the home.

The offending was uncovered later that year when his bank contacted him about an unrelated cheque issue and raised concerns about a number of payments made to Kelly Jones.

Mr Jones then contacted a friend, who alerted the care home. Both women subsequently lost their jobs and admitted fraud.

The court heard that Harding had worked at the home for 13 years, while Jones had been employed there for around a year.

Lawyers representing the women said they were ashamed of their actions and had faced significant personal and financial difficulties. Harding had no previous convictions, while Jones had four previous offences connected to an aggravated vehicle-taking case in 2007.

Judge Rees said the victim had been treated appallingly by people who had been trusted to care for him.

Harding, of Caroline Street, Llanelli, and Jones, of Cedric Street, Llanelli, were each sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

They were also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

The case has wider relevance across west and mid Wales because Dyfed-Powys Police serves one of the largest geographical policing areas in England and Wales, including the whole of Pembrokeshire.