Essex farmer's phone signal plea

Essex farmer's phone signal plea after combine fire

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A farmer has called for improved mobile coverage after an onlooker had to run across a field waving his arms to warn him his combine harvester was ablaze.

Chris Nott, of Pebmarsh, near Halstead, was in a field last Wednesday when dust in his vehicle caught fire.

Mr Nott said if he had not been warned, the fire could have destroyed the field and caused serious injury.

Ofcom said improving mobile coverage was an "important" objective.

Mr Nott said: "The first I knew about the fire was my daughter's boyfriend running alongside me, waving his arms in the air, just shouting 'fire'.

"He had been trying to phone me from the bottom of the field but could not get through.

"If it had been another two or three minutes, the result could have been a bit different.

"When I got out, within five minutes the machine was engulfThe blaze was controlled when a neighbouring farmer put in fire breaks in the field.

Mr Nott said: "Being on your own all the time, you need a phone signal. It is a worry, definitely.

"In this day and age you should be able to get a signal everywhere, it is a must really."ed. It could have spread across the whole field."

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