Train company to block mobiles

Passengers in the quiet carriages on train company C2C's services will no longer be bothered by mobile phone users, thanks to new hi-tech windows.

The company is to coat the windows in the carriages with a special film which can block mobile phone signals, while still letting in light.

Every one of its trains, which do commuter runs into London from Essex, has a quiet zone where all electronic devices are banned, but many passengers said that this was not being enforced sufficiently.

"We know that most of our passengers like the idea of the quiet zone," said a C2C spokesman.

"However we are aware that there is a concern about enforcement of this policy on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, after consultation, we have agreed to this course of action."

The film is made from a mix of metals, chemicals and plastics and was created by scientists in the USA to stop wireless communications being hacked.

Commuters in Glasgow will have easier access to their mobile phones, however, after O2 announced plans last month to bring mobile connectivity to some of the city's main underground stations.