Angry families in phone mast fight; SUTTON COLDFIELD: Fears over health risks from 'hideous' mobile plan.

Byline: By Adam Smith

FURIOUS Sutton Coldfield families have kicked off a campaign to stop a second mobile phone mast on their road.

Whitehouse Common Road resident John De Mascio is spearheading the fight against the council.

He said: "We have seen a good reaction from local people but still not as much as I would like."

Mr De Masci is now doing the rounds with a petition against the mast, which is planned for the junction with Rectory Road.

He added: "There is already one mast there on the other side of the road and the new one will be used to provide the emergency services with information but also for the ordinary man in the street."

Retired local physicist Dr John Walker said there is now enough evidence to be sure of the risks.

He said: "People who don't sign this petition are signing their own death warrants.

"The Government will not fund any research into the health risks so it all has to be done voluntarily.

"But research carried out all over the world shows the effects of radiation from the masts lead to a depleted immune system, which can cause behavioural problems, depression, anxiety, cognitive and memory troubles and eventually cancer and leukaemia.

"Just because it is a slow effect doesn't mean there is no effect and we are doing our future generations no favours, especially when masts are put so close to schools.

Sutton Trinity ward councillor David Pears is backing the residents in their campaign.

"I have written to the council to show my opposition," he said.

"It is a horrible thing which will make the junction with Rectory Road more dangerous. It will also be out of character with the area - it is another hideous thing we don't want in that location."

But a spokesman for the Mobile Operators Association refuted the claims that the masts were dangerous.

He said: "Scientific review after scientific review carried out around the world has not found adverse health effects caused by mobile phone base stations operating within the international health and safety guidelines.

"The World Health Organisation published a fact sheet on mobile communications in May 2006 which concluded that 'considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects'."

He added: "There are over 65 million mobile phones in use in the UK and without a network of radio base stations in the places where people want to use their phones they simply will not work."

Residents have until midnight tonight to express their views to the council's planning department.