Phone Company Complies

1.12.58pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 19th Jul 2004

Mobile phone mast.

The mobile phone company O2 has dismantled two telecom masts - on Chertsey Road and Hanworth Road - which were erected without permission - and replaced them with smaller masts. It had been expected that the company would fight the council's enforcement order but it complied instead.

Vincent Cable, who met the company's senior executives recently to persuade them to respect resident's wishes, said that "this is a small victory but worthwhile. The previous, illegal, masts were hideous and, while the new masts do not remove the anxiety about health impacts, the company has hopefully learnt to treat the local community with more respect".

Vincent Cable said that he was also "pleased to have had confirmation that the council would participate, with the mobile phone companies, in a prior consultation of residents before the companies put forward their planning applications. This should head off some of the worst applications."