PROTESTORS have called on phone giants Orange to stop putting masts near schools.

As part of a national campaign by protest group Mast Action UK, about 60 people converged on the firm's Darlington call centre on Monday.

They spent an hour outside the building, waving banners, placards and even a mock-up mast.

An 1,800 name petition was handed over to the company, for the attention of new chief executive Jean-Francois Pontel, urging Orange to sign a pledge that it would stop erecting masts within 500m of schools.

And youngsters joined in the day by writing to Mr Pontel to ask him to sign such a promise.

The Darras Hall Action Group from Ponteland which organised the Darlington protest - in line with others in Winchester, Birmingham and Hertfordshire - is battling plans for a mast near the local primary school.

Tracy Gaffney, of the action group, said: "It was very good. We haven't had a response back from Orange, but we certainly had a good turnout."

An Orange spokesman said: "Orange is committed to providing the UK with the most advanced mobile communications infrastructure and to do so in a responsible and environmentally accountable way."