A NEW police radio mast in the grounds of Ilkley Rugby Club has been making waves among nearby TV viewers.

Denton Road resident John Martinez said that his TV stopped working when the mast started operating around five weeks ago.

Mr Martinez said: "It has already cost me £200. I thought the TV was broken so I threw it out."

But then Mr Martinez found out the problem was caused by interference from the mast, not by a faulty set.

He had to get engineers out to install filters to block out the mast emissions.

"Other people have been affected. Even now I still have all this interference because I am so near it."

Robin Beaumont, of Beaumont TV and radio repairs, Cowpasture Road, Ilkley, said he had been called out to four homes, including Mr Martinez's, to fix the problem.

He said it affected people who had amplifiers fitted to their reception system because the signal from the mast was so strong.

Mr Beaumont said: "There is not a question of there being anything wrong with the transmitter - we have to make the reception system not so vulnerable to the interference.

"We have had three other customers in Ilkley at the moment where it was causing a problem and we have been able to apply a satisfactory cure in every case.

"Mr Martinez was the worst because he is the closest to it. We have had to filter it."

The mast has been erected by a company called Airwaves as part of a new police communications system.

Communications director Ann Casson said that it formed part of an extensive network of new radio links for 26 police forces nation-wide. The system may also be expanded to other emergency services.

Mrs Casson said: "There is considerable care taken when planning radio services to make sure the service doesn't cause interference.

"The avoidance of interference is dependent on the use of an aerial system with good performance."

She said that anyone experiencing signal problems because of the mast could call her on 07711 792113, or get in touch with the Government's Radio Communications Agency on 0113 203 0200 for advice.

Mrs Casson declined to reveal how much the company was paying to use the rugby club land for its communications mast.

She said that there was a notice on the mast giving out the company's telephone number but no-one so far had contacted them to relate any problems.

But Mr Martinez said that people might be reluctant to complain about the mast when they knew it was used for vital police communications.

At the time of going to press, no-one at Ilkley Rugby Club was available for comment.