FURIOUS residents claim they have been left in the dark over the building of a telephone mast in Otley.

They claim they knew nothing about the mobile communications mast until work at the site off Leeds Road started earlier this week. Now they want work at the Wharfedale Farmers Auction Mart to be halted until it can be proved there will be no harmful side effects.

And a public meeting has been called for Wednesday, February 2 at the Civic Centre (8pm) when it is hoped a representative from One 2 One will be on hand to answer residents' fears. Councillor Nigel Francis, who lives in nearby Pearsons Buildings and who has a young child, said his immediate response was to destroy the mast.

"I have four choices. I can either blow it up and end up in jail, I could block the entrance to the auction mart, I could ignore it, or I could move out of Otley. I don't want to break the law, but I just don't know what to do," said Coun Francis.

He said: "No long term study of the effects of the electronic, microwaves upon the wave patterns of small children and babies' brains has ever been undertaken, although there is clear evidence that these can affect babies and young children."

Teacher Catherine Hurst, who has a two-week old baby, Jack Samuel, said she and her husband, Daniel, now wanted to move away from their Albion Street home.

"We are absolutely appalled and very concerned about it. We want to move to a bigger home and were hoping to sell the house, now we want to put the house on the market straight away," she said.

And John and Margaret Parkin, who also live in Pearsons Buildings, said they were concerned that not enough was known about potential health risks connected to masts.

A spokesman for One 2 One said: "We wouldn't do anything if we didn't think it was safe. We are required to meet the recommended guidelines for emissions."

A Leeds City Council spokeswoman said an application to put up a 15-metre high mast was submitted in August under the 42-day prior approval procedure - giving the council limited opportunity to have any say in the siting and design of the mast.

"The legislation requires the applicant to publicise their intention to erect a mast before they submit an application. The application was considered by the development control panel (West) on September 21 - within the timescale allowed.

"No objections were raised at the meeting. However, the council did request that the siting was changed slightly so that the mast stood equidistant between the cattle market and the residential area nearby"

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