Residents and teachers were celebrating after an application to install a mobile phone mast was refused amid health fears.

Headteacher of Great Totham Primary School, Peter Foreman, had protested about plans to site a 15-metre pole next to Beacon Hill Scout Hut in Totham Road, between Wickham Bishops and Great Totham.

He said he did not want his pupils treated as guinea pigs in a national debate on the dangers of mobile telephones.

Maldon District Council officers recommended approval for the scheme, but councillors rejected the application at a meeting.

Five letters of objection to the mast proposed by international communications company One2One were received, including a letter from Mr Foreman.

"Nobody is sure of the effect of these things and we will not agree to anything that could harm our pupils," he said.

Planning officer Paul Smith said the mast was considered to be "dominant and obtrusive" by councillors and went against local planning guidelines.

"Our local plan promises to seek to reduce telecommunications equipment, encouraging underground cables to reduce antenna," he said.

But he also added that he thought it was a reasonably good location for the mast.

Chairman of the Scout group, Tim Wyman, said they had supported the application as it would have meant extra funding for a new Scout hut, and dismissed fears of any health risk to the children.

But he was unsure if the Scout group would be supporting a possible appeal by the communications giant.

Community relations officer for the mobile network, Barrie Turner-Smith, said it was trying to meet the increasing demand for network coverage and any suggestion of a health risk was unfounded.

"One2One is satisfied that it is safe. We comply with all national and international regulations and our masts pose no risk to any member of the public," he said.

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