Rage over phone masts forest
With 11 masts holding 28 antennae, the village of Essington, near Wolverhampton, must be one of the best places in Britain to find a mobile phone signal.
But it is not so great for villagers, who find their homes surrounded by metal towers and who continue to be concerned about the effect of the masts on their long-term health.
Telecoms companies are clamouring to site their transmitters in the South Staffordshire village because of its proximity to the M54 and M6. Drivers using hands-free kits can continue talking while travelling down the motorways without having to worry about their signals cutting out.
But villagers and parish councillors say enough is enough.
Most of the 11 towers have more than one antennae attached. Last week phone giant Orange received planning permission to put up the village's 12th mast, with its 29th antenna, in the middle of a residential area.
If approved it would reach almost 50ft above Bursnips Road, next to another which stands 16ft.
An action group has been set up in the village to fight applications for any more phone masts amid concerns about any possible impact on health and claims that they are unsightly.
Essington Parish Council objected to the scheme, but officers at South Staffordshire District Council gave it their backing.
Councillor David Clifft, chairman of Essington Council, said: "Parish councillors are very concerned about the large number of telecommunication masts in Essington, the majority of which cater for the M6, M54 and Hilton Service Station on the M6.
"We are now calling on all the operators for their 10-year roll-out programme, which will highlight any masts planned for the village."
Councillor Sylvia Wright, chairman of Fight Against Masts in Essington (Fame), said: "There needs to be a way of preventing so many different companies from putting up masts.
"Planning committees would not allow lots of different supermarkets to open next door to each other."
Orange insists the mast, to boost signal strength for phone users on the M6, would not be an eyesore.
Saul Konviser, of Orange, said: "The mast will be a 15m slimline column and we do not feel that the is visually intrusive. It will provide better quality reception."
