Vodafone UK Aim to Improve Mobile Signals in Lancaster After Vandal Attacks

Repeated attacks of vandalism by gangs of youths recently caused Vodafone (VodafoneThree) to remove a key mobile mast site in central Lancaster (Lancashire, England), which was shared with mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media). The situation resulted in significant 4G and 5G (mobile broadband) coverage problems for users in the area, but a temporary solution is now imminent.

The problems appear to have started around a year ago after the mast site, which sat on top of a derelict building on Fenton Street in the centre of Lancaster, came under repeated criminal attack. In response the local government MP, Cat Smith, pushed Vodafone on the installation of jail gates, tasked Lancashire Police to boost their patrols, and worked with the city council to have the building owner secure and board up openings to the property.

Unfortunately, these efforts failed to stop the antisocial behaviour and vandalism of the building, including “weapons” being found at the site by Vodafone’s engineers (it’s unclear what type of weapons). In response Vodafone took the decision in April 2026 to deem the mast site “non-viable” and it was then taken offline.

The mobile operator then began hunting for viable alternative sites, but they acknowledged that this was likely to take anything from 12 to 36 months to deliver (i.e. finding the location, securing planning permission and then construction). Such a long wait is obviously quite a big problem for a central city mast site, which will be serving quite a few customers of both Vodafone and O2.

“As we know, this is having a huge impact in Lancaster’s town centre so we would hope there would be limited opposition during the planning process which can often be where we experience the longest delays,” said Vodafone to local MP Cat Smith in April 2026. However, locals in the area are continuing to suffer problems and complaints about the situation have recently started to come ISPreview’s way (credits to Craig and Aaron for the feedback), but Vodafone now says they have a temporary solution coming.

A spokesperson for Vodafone told ISPreview:

“We’re sorry to any Vodafone customers experiencing issues with their service in the Lancaster area. We have deployed a temporary solution, which is expected to go live in August and improve coverage while we progress plans for two new permanent sites to further strengthen coverage and capacity in the area.”

The operator didn’t include any details on the temporary solution or its location, but it could either reflect the deployment of a temporary mast site / small cell or the boosting of mobile signals and data capacity from an existing site or sites. If it’s the latter, which often tends to be the case, then we suspect the impact will be far from perfect.

The reality in the UK is that finding and deploying new mobile sites is a frustratingly slow process for mobile operators and their customers. This is one of the reasons why mobile operators frequently call for the National Planning Policy Framework to be updated so that it prioritises telecommunications infrastructure, while reducing the number of applications requiring full planning or prior approval to ease pressure on local authorities. But even favourable changes here won’t help if planning authorities continue to be under-resourced.

However, mobile infrastructure isn’t installed in a vacuum and planning authorities also have to consider public opinion, visual impact, safety and other factors etc. Not to mention that installing mast sites on existing buildings creates another set of problems for building owners and their occupants (damage to property, fire safety, insurance etc.), which can be a harder pill to swallow given the meagre rental rates that mobile operators often pay to landowners. But whatever the solution, people in central Lancaster look set to be waiting a while for a permanent fix.