BURNHAM-on-Sea needs free wifi for visitors.

That was the plea of a former town councillor who has urged councillors in the area to push forward with plans to provide the service.

Paul Young spoke at a meeting of Burnham and Highbridge Town Council’s Projects Committee on July 10 and said he was upset to hear rumours that plans to install free wifi across the town had been scrapped - a claim dismissed by the council.

The £20,000 project, which was first considered last autumn as part of the negotiations over the use of planning money from Tesco, would see free wifi introduced in Burnham town centre and on the Esplanade.

And Mr Young said the move would help tourism.

“In this day and age, people under the age of 50 use smartphones on a regular basis,” he told the meeting.

“Mobile phone networks in towns on land are normally pretty good, but being in Burnham we have a big chunk of sea on one side which really does affect the phone network.

“Visitors and residents struggle to get a good signal by the seafront and coverage in Burnham is patchy to say the least.

“Last year, Sedgemoor District Council picked three towns to get free wifi and we were very lucky that we had a great town centre manager who got us a great deal to put in that free wifi.

“With the Tesco 106 funding so far we have got new cycle racks, new street lights, coloured tarmac and hanging baskets but wifi would knock them all into a cocked hat.

“It would drive more business and encourage more people to come into the town.”

Councillors at the meeting on July 10 said they were unaware the plans had been scrapped and asked for more information about the progress of the project.

Cllr Janet Keen said: “During one of the latest reports from the town centre manager before her contract ended, we were told that there were technical difficulties with installing the wifi and until it was resolved the project would be put on the back-burner.”

Tatiana Cant, town clerk for the council, said: “I think the project has been delayed, it definitely has not been scrapped.”

“We can look at the final costs of the project and speak to the former town centre manager to see what is needed to get this project off the ground.”