The UK 5G rollout has been held up by several landowners who are refusing to accept rent cuts in exchange for phone masts being built on their land, according to a report by Sky News.

Lancashire-based Fox Lane Sports and Social Club is one of the landlords that has been offered about 10 per cent of its current rent but will not give permission to EE to install a 5G mast on its plot.

David Bradshaw, a club committee member, told the news site that the reduction from £7400 to £700 is “unacceptable.”

"When they say £700, we'd rather not have it, we might as well do [deals] with other sponsors who come on site and enjoy better partnerships," he said. “What we've found in the last few months is that there are many more people, churches and schools and so on, that are in the same position as we are."

According to think tank the Centre for Policy Studies, increasing delays could mean the government's current target of getting a 5G signal to 51 per cent of the UK population by 2027 may be short 11 million households and businesses.

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