Electrical sub-station blamed for loss of phone signal near Brighton hospital

A resident in the Bristol Gate area of Brighton is blaming a new electrical sub-station for creating a mobile phone signal blackspot.

Steve Gallagher, from the estates department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, said that a new sub-station had been built as the hospital needed more power.

He said that a company called UK Power Networks was responsible for maintaining the sub-station and it reported no problems.

He told a meeting of the Hospital Liaison Group this evening (Monday 30 April) that members of staff had carried out tests.

They have walked past the sub-station testing their phones, trying to see whether any or all networks were affected.

They didn’t find any signal problems and, as the complainant was not present at the meeting, Mr Gallagher noted that the complaint had been minuted.

A spokesman for UK Power Networks said: “We can confirm that UK Power Networks’ substation outside the Royal Sussex County Hospital is not having any impact on mobile phone signals in the area.

“In view of the concerns raised by a customer we carried out a survey at the substation last week and the site conformed to the normal guidelines.

“UK Power Networks owns and maintains more than 130,000 substations which help us distribute electricity to homes and businesses in London, the South East and East of England.

“Our substations are a vital part of our electricity distribution network and they are located everywhere, especially in residential areas, to keep power flowing to customers.”