Concerned Ongar parents have stepped up their fight to have a mobile phone mast removed from the corner of Chipping Ongar Primary School's field by forming an action group.

Following an informal meeting in St James church hall called by campaigning Woodland Way mum-of-two Juliet Moore, a committee was formed and the group given the name Parents Against Radiation Emissions Near To Schools (PARENTS).

Speakers at the meeting, which was attended by over 25 parents, included Fyfield district councillor Doug Kelly and Roger Holt of the Moreton and District Conservation Society.

Ongar county councillor Gerard McEwen and parish councillor Barbara Szymanek also spoke out in support of the group's aims.

Parents attending the meeting voiced fears over the potential health implications of the mast, which has been in place since September 1995. Some claimed that there had been a lack of consultation by the school.

Engineering work on a 15m replacement mast had taken place over the Christmas holidays, with Vodafone stating that its purpose is to provide "better coverage and additional capacity".

The decision to allow the upgraded mast to be built was taken by the school's board of governors in March 2000, but parents only received notification of the work when the Christmas newsletter was issued at the end of December.

In recent years, mobile phone masts have been linked with a rise in the incidence of cancer and leukaemia.

In other areas of the country - including the Grange Park Primary School in Sunderland - parents of epileptic children have claimed that the presence of a telecommunications mast next to the school had caused the condition to worsen significantly.

Some researchers have claimed that children could be especially vulnerable to any harmful effects of the radiofrequency radiation emitted by the masts on account of their developing nervous systems.

And in May 2000 the Government-commissioned Stewart Report into mobile phones and health had recommended a precautionary approach to the siting of masts near schools.

Following its first committee meeting, PARENTS has written to the school's board of governors drawing attention to the precautionary principle adopted by the Stewart Report and requesting the removal of the mast.

In response, the chairman of governors Debbie Klee has promised a comprehensive reply on the points raised.

She said: "A working party has been set up to give a response to their letter."

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