PROTESTERS fighting a mobile phone mast on a Bournemouth pub are set to take their campaign to the streets on Saturday, February 4.

Scores of residents are expected to join a demonstration outside the Holly Tree pub on Wimborne Road in Moordown at 10.30am.

They are angry because mobile phone operator Hutchinson 3G put up a mast at the pub without warning in December.

Many people living close by are concerned about possible health dangers linked with the radiation emitted by phone masts, saying local children could be at risk.

And more than 900 residents have already signed a petition objecting to the mast, which has been disguised as a flagpole.

Campaigners are also furious at not being consulted about the siting of the mast, especially after it emerged it was higher than first claimed.

Hutchinson 3G originally gave the height of the mast as just under four metres, but measurements by Bournemouth planners have now revealed it is actually 4.3 metres high.

This is significant because masts less than four metres tall are classed as "permitted development" and don't need any planning permission.

But masts between four and 15 metres do need prior approval from the council about the siting and appearance of the installation - and consultation with local residents.

Hutchinson 3G has now agreed to drop the height of the mast after being informed by Bournemouth planners.

Last week, mast protesters met Greene King representative Richard Crewe Read to put their fears to the brewery which runs the Holly Tree.

He told them his company was satisfied these types of masts were safe.

Hutchinson 3G is holding a special meeting at Moordown Community Centre tonight open to all local residents.

Representatives from the phone company will be on hand to answer questions from 5pm to 7.30pm.

First published: February 1, 2006