POLITICIANS representing Hampshire have voted to end roaming mobile telephone charges.

The European Parliament’s 600 MEPs voted to end the charges, incurred by phone users when they use the devices in other European Union countries.

Roaming charges on calls, data and text messages will be cut from July 1 and scrapped entirely from January 2016.

John Howarth, Labour candidate for South East England at the European elections on May 22, said: “Roaming charges have been a financial deterrent that has stopped people using their mobile phones when travelling.

“Increased call and data volumes are likely to more than cover the losses to telecoms companies from these unfair charges for which whatever justification there was disappeared long since.

“It is good news for people on holiday, for business and for the friends and relatives of people who are travelling.”

UKIP was the only British party not to vote for the end of the charges, arguing telecom firms would push the revenue loss on to domestic phone users.