Mounting concern about masts

The comments were made by Nick Herbert at a House of Commons debate on Friday (March 3) at the second reading of the Telecommunications Masts (Planning Control Bill) proposed by MP David Curry.

His remarks came in a week when a leading campaign group, Mast Sanity, claimed that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was in collusion with the Department of Trade and Industry and watchdog OFCOM, ignoring calls by councils, MPs, MEP's and phone mast campaigners, as well as their own advisors for planning controls, to prevent further despoilation of the country by the telecoms industry.

The group claimed that two separate requests for informations under the Freedom of Information Act has been ignored and secret high-level meetings had been held with mobile phone operators.

Mr Herbert, who represents Arundel and South Downs said that while mobile phones were important, people were concerned because the siting of them was outside of the planning process.

"In the eyes of our constituents masts can affect people's health, particularly when they are sited close to schools and medical facilities, without any proper consultation with local communities.