THREE mobile phone antennae are to be erected near a primary school, prompting concerns among parents.

Durham City councillors have approved plans for the antennae to be placed on the Neville's Cross Pub in the city after visiting the site on Monday.

The transmitters on the Darlington Road pub are to be housed in a reinforced plastic box painted to match the brickwork.

But parents of pupils at Neville's Cross Primary School, which is little more than 100 metres from the pub, are concerned about the effects transmissions will have on their children

They have sent Durham City Council a letter of objection after hearing of the plans. The council also received a further 15 letters of objection and a petition with 86 signatures, as well as a letter from a nearby business. The majority of objectors were concerned about the health risks.

Warren Brown, whose children Fred and Lilith attend the primary school, said the potential health risks to children had not been looked at properly.

The Stewart report, which sets out guidelines on siting mobile phone masts, said there was the possibility that exposure to radiation could have a biological effect on people and children absorbed more radiation than adults, he said.

"Children in the primary will be there for seven years and virtually every day subjected to low level radiation.

"The only course of action left to us now is a judicial review, which will cost money, which none of us has," he said.

Staff at the school have remained impartial about the plans, but they allowed parents to arrange a meeting with representatives from Hutchinson 3G, the company behind the planning application, at the school.

A company spokesman said they worked to stringent guidelines covering mobile phone emissions and there was no danger to children.

He said the Government also conducted random surveys of emissions surrounding schools.

He said: "We have managed to answer most people's questions and handled most people's concerns. Obviously there's going to be a few people who will not be satisfied, which is a shame. But we have gone to the school to answer all questions put to us."