Mobile phone users in Teddington vented their frustration at the EE network, with many unable to make calls or send or receive text messages.

EE customers across town reported issues with their mobile phone signal, although the exact cause of the problem unclear.

Emma Durnford, 45, a photographer, has been experiencing intermittent signal for more than a year, particularly near Teddington Lock.

She said: “I contacted them well over a year ago and was told there should not be a problem. Their website shows coverage for this area as well.”

The problem has almost cost Fiona Seymour, 26, a nanny working in Teddington, her job.

She said: “My work means I have to be on call whilst the parents are out for the whole day. I have had a few instances where my phone has completely stopped working for at least an hour and have missed calls from my boss. Luckily it wasn’t urgent.

“In the past few months I have noticed it getting worse. I have to keep turning my phone on and off for at least a couple of hours.”

Margaret Allen, 55, a retired marketing consultant, was inconvenienced while out shopping in Kingston at the weekend.

She said: “My daughter sent me a text at 11.30 while we were out and I got it at 5 in the evening.”

On the likelihood of being able to switch networks, she said: “I’m on a contract, so I’m a bit stuck really.”

Sarah Jones, 25, a job-seeking graduate, began experiencing temperamental last summer and it has deteriorated since.

She said: “It generally just doesn’t work anywhere in Teddington or Kingston town.

“I can’t check the live bus departures site anymore if I’m out, and if I’ve ordered something online at home to be collected I’ll get to Kingston and try to look up the order number and my 3G won’t connect unless I go up to the Waterstone’s in the Bentall Centre and hang about in the one spot.

“They [EE] can get away with not bothering to fix the signal problems because if they don’t, there’s not much that people can do about it,” she said.

EE launched 4G coverage in London in late 2012, roughly the same time that users in Teddington began complaining about its 3G service, but EE denied a link.

A spokesman from EE said: “We are aware that some customers have reported problems with signal in the Teddington area, and we are investigating as a matter of urgency. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”