Tourist hotspot with UK's worst phone signal 'frustrating' locals and visitors

It's one of Wales' most popular seaside towns which welcomes thousands of tourists every year - but a lack of mobile phone signal in Tenby is frustrating locals and visitors alike.

The Pembrokeshire town's postcode was named by Which? as the worst in the UK for mobile network quality in 2025, a problem exacerbated by the decommissioning of a phone mast in the area earlier this year, affecting 02, Vodafone and Three customers.

Steven Roberts, a local taxi driver, described Tenby as a signal "dead zone" and said it was impacting bookings and payments.

Vodafone, Three and O2 have apologised to customers affected, adding that a long-term solution is being worked on to improve signal in the area.

"When you're in the town you might put your phone in front of the door to keep it open because that's all it's good for," said Steven, who has been a taxi driver in the area for three years.

Steven drove us into the centre of Tenby to show us how bad the signal was for him.

While we were in the car he got a booking via Facebook, but explained he wouldn't be able to respond until he left the town centre.

"Luckily it's one of my regulars so they know the issue," he said.

But he fears new customers would not be so patient.

"They'd probably think 'oh he hasn't responded, I'll go somewhere else'."

Steven said the poor signal meant it was difficult to take any card payments.

"You can be there for 10 minutes trying to get a signal and then that delays you for your next call. I've started putting posts on social media saying it's cash only."

He said this could be tricky as not everyone carries cash or even bank cards to withdraw cash.

"It's a case of gritting your teeth, asking them nicely if they don't mind taking cash out, then you've got to wait for them to get to the cash machine and that knocks on your next call.

"It's like you're swimming against the current."

Steven has urged phone companies to improve the signal.

"During the summer periods you've got over 50,000 people here, something needs to be done.

"We pay enough money for our mobile contracts but they're not upholding their side of the deal."

Guy Manning, who runs an art shop in the town, said "people don't understand" how frustrating the situation is for businesses.

"It's difficult for me because people don't always want to get cash. It can be difficult to take card payments because of the bad signal," he said, adding that he had "definitely" lost customers because of the problems.

"People are on holiday, they've got family with them, and they've got an itinerary in their head.

"So they think 'well we'll come back' but they don't always do that. Or they ask 'have you got a website?', and you know then they're not going to come back."

Nearly six million people visit Pembrokeshire each year, according to 2024 research from Visit Pembrokeshire, and Tenby is one of the most popular destinations.

But Paul Wiston, visiting Tenby from Cheshire, told the BBC it would be a "struggle" for him to come back again.

"I'm self-employed so there's nothing worse when people can't get in touch with you," he said.

"I can't even get the weather forecast up - it's frustrating. I mean it's a lovely place but just terrible signal.

"We walked home last night because we couldn't call a taxi."

Joe and Martin Harrison, visiting from Birmingham, said they had brought extra cash because they had heard about the signal issues.

"It is a bit frustrating when people need to contact you and you haven't got access to the phone, but I wouldn't say that it affects us that much."

Ralph Dunne, visiting from Rotherham with his wife, said: "We've got a little bit of signal but nothing you can actually do anything with.

"We haven't used our phones or the internet the whole time we've been here."

For other visitors to the seaside town, having no signal came with its positives.

"We're only away for a few days anyway so I tend not to use my phone so much for some peace and quiet," said Lynne Cornish from the Rhondda Valley.

Frankie Bennet, from London, said he and his partner were on holiday to have a break from their screens.

"We've come here to get away from all that so it's not too bad," he said.

According to Which?, the consumer organisation, mobile phone users in Tenby experience a good connection 54.3% of the time - the worst in the UK.

An O2 spokesperson said: "We're aware of the signal issues in Tenby and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

"This is due to a local mast in the area being decommissioned. Our infrastructure partner, Vodafone, who manages the site, is working as quickly as possible to locate and install a replacement. Other masts in the area have been optimised to help minimise disruption."

A spokesperson for Vodafone and Three said: "We're sorry to Vodafone and Three UK customers in the Tenby area who are experiencing issues with their service.

"We are working with our infrastructure partner on a longer-term solution and are exploring temporary options to help restore coverage as quickly as possible."

EE, which does not own the decommissioned mast and has not been involved in its removal, said: "We are actively looking at ways to enhance connectivity in Tenby and the wider area, including an upgrade to an existing mast site in Penally."