PLANNING approval is being sought for a third mobile phone mast in Heighington, and there are fears that many more will follow as technology leaps ahead.

One 2 One communications hopes to erect a 15m tower with up to nine antennae and four dishes on disused farming land adjacent to a former quarry, at Hope House Farm, Highside Road.

The application also includes the installation of an equipment cabin.

The village already has two other masts on its south side and this one to the north-west claims to boost mobile phone reception for every resident.

As phone technology increases, more masts are required to cope with the demands of service-users, which will inevitably create planning headaches and conflict.

Darlington council planning officer, Mr David Coates, anticipates a sharp increase in mast applications across the borough as the third generation of mobile phone takes hold.

He said: "We now have wap phones, linked to the internet, and phones with video-conferencing facilities.

"All these require additional masts erected much closer together.

"I think we will be inundated as a council with applications for additional masts in the future. So far Darlington borough has been lucky because we have not had enormous numbers of objections as masts have mainly been installed away from residential areas.

"Our powers to refuse are relatively limited unless a local authority can provide a convincing argument on health grounds or loss of visual amenity."

Research is ongoing into the effects of frequencies and illness, an area not considered by the Stewart report which proved inconclusive over the effects of radio waves on the brain.

Any objections to this planning application must be made in writing to the planning department at Darlington town hall within the next two weeks.