MP welcomes Vodafone’s decision to work with Mountain Rescue over paging network

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed Vodafone's decision to re-think its plans to close its paging system.

The mobile network provider was considering ending its paging service, which has caused much concern amongst mountain rescue teams in Cumbria who rely on the paging network to receive emergency call outs.

Pager messages reach remote areas which are beyond the reach of mobile networks.

At busy times, pager messages also have priority over other telecommunications traffic. Tests by Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team have shown that that SMS text messages can lag behind pager messages by up to 20 minutes at busy times.

After writing to the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service to intervene, Tim was pleased to hear that Vodafone have agreed to meet with Mountain Rescue UK to talk through any specific concerns that they have regarding coverage in remote places.

Tim said: "This announcement is great news for mountain rescue teams across the Lake District who are so heavily reliant on the paging network.

"Although I'm encouraged by Vodafone's decision to start working closely with Mountain Rescue UK, I'm adamant that there must be no reduction in its paging service which would lead to delays in mountain rescue teams being called."