PARENTS have vented their anger at a mobile telephone company which plans to erect a communications mast near a north Durham village school.

Now Derwentside District Council is preparing to intervene in the dispute even though the company does not need planning permission to erect the mast.

The parents of children at Burnopfield Primary School are organising a petition to send to the council, as well as phone company One-2-One. There are already two other mobile phone masts in the small village.

Leader of Derwentside council, Alex Watson, visited Burnopfield on Friday to gauge the extent of public anger. He revealed that although the council cannot deny permission to erect the mast, it has 42 days to officially challenge the company on the issue of location and design.

But he expressed a desire for the issue to be resolved amicably. He said: "There was a Government report about the whole issue of phone masts earlier this year. It concluded that although there was no proof that these masts did damage health, it noted that there was tremendous concern about it. It recommended that phone companies should share whenever possible. Cellnet have already told us they would not mind sharing, and we have already started discussions with One-2-One."

One mother with a child at the school, who asked not to be named, said hundreds of names were expected to be gathered for the petition.

She said: "There is evidence that these things damage the health of children and they should just stop building them until the whole issue is proved one way or the other.

"We certainly won't allow them to take chances with our children's health in this way. I just can't believe there isn't some real control over these companies."

No one was available for comment at One-2-One over the weekend