Mobile phone users left without signal for almost a fortnight have praised “power in numbers” after their service was restored following a torrent of complaints.

Vodafone customers in the IP1 area of Ipswich greeted their phones’ first signs of activity yesterday morning with delight, having struggled without signal since the Wednesday before Christmas.

“When I turned on my phone and saw that red light and knew that something was coming through I thought ‘wow’ - it was a really good feeling,” said Judith Gunion, a self employed sports massage therapist, whose business relies on being accessible by phone.

Ms Gunion, and many more Vodafone users had contacted the EADT and Ipswich Star, having grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of information from the company, with many claiming to have been told nothing was wrong.

“It was the conflicting messages that became really annoying,” Ms Gunion said.

A spokesman for Vodafone said the problem with signal in the IP1 area was resolved at 9.30am.

“We’re sorry our customers were inconvenienced in this way,” they added.

Melissa Reid, one of the IP1 residents to have complained, noted the speed at which the problem was resolved after it went public.

“It’s amazing how quickly something can be fixed when it’s power in numbers,” she said.

With many friends and relatives using their mobiles to wish each other a “happy New Year” in the early hours of this morning, Ms Guinion, whose family live in Canada, was especially thankful to have escaped a half mile walk at midnight in search of signal.