Residents have been racing against the clock to voice their opposition to a plan for a 5G mobile phone mast in Weymouth.

In two days they gathered 100 signatures for a petition against a plan to build a 15m high 5G mast on Dorchester Road near to the Lidl supermarket.

A resident spotted the notice four days before objections to Dorset Council were set to close on June 7.

The plans were submitted by Cignal Infrastructure UK Ltd (which is part of mobile phone company Three) and is proposing the installation of a 15m high 5G mast supporting six antennas, three equipment cabinets and ancillary development, including one GPS module.

Mandy Woodward, one of the residents spearheading the petition said: “We hadn’t had any prior notice of this happening except the notice on the lamppost, which is set way above eye level and people can’t see it.

Dorset Echo: The notice was higher than eye levelThe notice was higher than eye level (Image: Hollie Carr)

“A neighbour happened to see it and then mobilised everyone else – she did a letter and put it through everyone’s doors, but in order to catch the most amount of people, we thought we would start a petition as well and we’re just trying to persuade people to sign it.”

The group have been standing on the pavement outside Lidl, encouraging passers-by to sign their petition.

One resident explained that they don’t have an opposition to the 5G, ‘it’s against the positioning on a public road and how intrusive it’s going to be – it’s not an anti 5G campaign it’s simply the prominence of it.’

Dorset Council councillors for the area, Pete Barrow and David Gray, helped to collect signatures and show their support.

Mandy said: “It’s very frustrating - It’s just down to locals to try and stop them.

“We just want to demonstrate that there’s a lot of local opposition."

Kim Rees, another resident, said: “There are more suitable locations rather than in a prominent place.”

A Three spokesperson said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Weymouth. We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and this site will be critical to making that happen.

"Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage. We carry out extensive searches and evaluate a wide range of options before submitting any planning applications.

"Our sites are designed and built to comply fully with all highway laws, to ensure continued safety for all users. As a responsible company, we take our obligation to run a safe network very seriously.

“From a health and safety perspective, 5G deployment is no different to any other mobile technology.

"All generations of mobile technology used by Three comply with guidelines to ensure that no harmful levels of radiation are emitted and our network remains compliant with international guidelines."