RESIDENTS are in uproar against a proposal to put a mobile phone mast on the Dewsbury and Ossett border.
The site of the proposed T-Mobile structure falls just within the Kirklees boundary on Dewsbury Road but would also affect people on the Wakefield side.
Plans for a T-Mobile mast in Ossett were recently refused and residents think the mobile phone c
ompany may have crossed the border to install a mast which will cover the area.
Sarah Roberts, of Pickersgill Street, has collected nearly 300 names on a petition against the proposed site, which her four-year-old son Tom's bedroom overlooks.
She said: "Tom's bedroom is 10 metres away from the site and would be the nearest bedroom to the mast. I was absolutely furious when I found out about this. I have spent five years getting my house sorted and getting a good school for my boy and this will devalue my property.
"We all want a decent place for our kids to live, but it's recognised that the radiation will affect the health of my son."
Alan Walker lives at Tolson Street, close to the proposed mast site at Bradford Brothers' wood yard.
He said: "Residents are hoping it won't go ahead. We are all putting our objections in. They have done it in a sneaky way.
"It's going to be just short of 12 metres high. It's above any lamp-post and it is out of proportion with the rest of the area."
Coun Paul Kane (Lab, Dews East) supports the battle against the mast.
He said: "The residents' fight was a successful one when a previous proposal was made and there are still problems with health and visual amenity. I will do all I can to help them fight their corner and I will do so again in future."
The council will make a decision based on the siting and appearance of the proposed mast before August 28.
A spokesman for Kirklees said a significant number of people in Kirklees and Wakefield had objected.
A spokesman for T-Mobile said: "The use of mobile phones in the UK has grown at a phenomenal rate, with some 60 million now in use. All communities have the potential to benefit from first class mobile communications whether they are used for business, social or emergency purposes.
"Without a network of base stations, however, mobile phones simply do not work. T-Mobile understands there sometimes can be concerns when locating base stations in communities."
He said T-Mobile was confident base stations did not present a health risk.
