'Useless phone signal and parking app are killing our town'

Residents and business owners say a "useless" phone signal is "killing" Framlingham because it is making it too difficult for people to pay for parking.

It comes after reports that some customers at the East of England Co-op store in the Suffolk town have struggled to pay for parking on the Apcoa app because they cannot connect to the internet.

The supermarket had previously offered free parking but it recently introduced a £2 fee for shoppers who want to stay for more than half an hour and up to two hours.

But local people say the issue is not exclusive to the Co-op car park, and is more widespread.

One resident who said she had struggled to pay for parking using an app both at the Co-op and in the town centre was Louisa Rose.

"The signal is absolutely awful here and it has been really frustrating because you might be waiting for an important phone call," she said.

"They have brought in wi-fi when you are in the town, but that is not great... and I don't know how they would expect an elderly person to deal with that.

"I think the signal needs sorting first before these machines are put in. Most supermarkets give you a three-hour limit, so why not the Co-op?"

David Patrick, of DC Patrick Newsagents, said customers who wanted to park near his shop also had to use the Apcoa app – but many of them could not do so, due to either their age or the poor signal.

"The little old lady or the little old man have not got the apps or phones, and I am just flabbergasted by it... and I think they're killing the towns," he said.

"It just seemed to change overnight, and they are expected to be able to pick it up and do it, and that's without the awful, useless and hopeless signal making it even harder for people.

"I can see the Co-op wants to make money, but towns like this feed off regular customers and this will destroy that – it's very, very short-sighted."

Ruth Watson, who owns Watson and Walpole restaurant, said the phone signal in the area was very poor and potentially problematic.

"The Co-op is the only big shop we have in Framlingham so, yeah, it's not good for those who use it," she said.

"The signal here is really, really bad and very flaky, and we're also not very well served when it comes to parking.

"We're not just talking about elderly people, it's everybody. If you can't get on your mobile phone to communicate then we're going to be in deep mire, frankly."

Gill Knight, a resident of Framlingham, said the issue did not affect her as much as it did others because she refused to use mobile apps.

"I object to using any app, because we're supposed to be inclusive but we're excluding anybody who hasn't got a smartphone," she said.

"It's immoral to me. It's like when you can't pay by cash. Cash is supposed to be legal tender and people won't take it – and that's not right, either."

East Suffolk Council, Apcoa, the East of England Co-op, EE, O2, Vodafone and Three have been contacted for comment.

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