20 September 2007

A head teacher in Lincolnshire has voiced anxiety about plans to put up a mobile phone mast near to his school.

T-Mobile has sought planning permission to erect a mast on West Street in Horncastle, near the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, the BBC reports.

The mobile operator insists that there is no evidence that masts pose a public health hazard.

Residents have composed a petition with more than 80 names opposing the phone mast plans.

Head teacher Tim Peacock said: "T-Mobile have gone out of their way to give us every reassurance that there are no risks associated with ionising radiation," he said.

"Our problem is that we're not really in a position to understand the science of the situation and there's a lot of controversy concerning masts."

T-Mobile's Richard Owens responded: "Perhaps people are asking for a level of proof we'll never get to."