PEOPLE living in the Cotswolds are being asked to help map mobile reception strength across the UK this summer after a number of rural businesses and individuals complained of extremely poor signal.

Members of the Countryside Alliance are asking rural residents to tell them what the signal is like in their area by downloading the free RootMetrics app onto their smartphone or tablet and using it while they are at home and out and about.

The alliance is searching for evidence to ensure people living in the countryside are not forgotten by mobile phone companies and that they benefit from the government's £150 million mobile phone infrastructure project.

The information gathered from the app will be used to encourage phone companies and the government to improve rural reception.

Countryside Alliance executive chairman Barney White-Spunner said the rural coverage quoted by phone companies was a best-case scenario.

"We all know how much phone reception can vary in the countryside and we feel households and businesses based there are at a disadvantage," he said.

The RootMetrics app also provides information on which company provides the best service in particular areas.

For more information or to see results so far, visit rootmetrics.com/uk