As a mother of three children living in Liskeard, I sympathise fully with the real concerns of parents in Millbrook who are facing a mobile phone transmitter being erected near to their children's primary school. Potential health risks are a real worry.

Liskeard Primary School currently has a mast nearby too. This is a widespread problem that needs action now.

The projected number of mobile phone masts is set to rocket from 20,000 to 50,000 if current estimates are to be believed. It is important that the current planning process is tightened up significantly to allow the views of local communities to be taken into account.

It is clearly wrong that the village of Millbrook is having a phone mast foisted upon it, when local residents are strongly opposed to the tower being built. Parents' opinion must be paramount, the possible health risks are month by month becoming more clearly defined.

It was with astonishment that I read the words of hypocrisy from William Hague's local Conservative Parliamentary candidate. It was the Conservative government who introduced the present unfair planning system for 'Monster Masts'.

This is why the residents of Millbrook find themselves in this current predicament. The Conservative record for eighteen years was to take powers away from local communities not to defend them. Any change of direction now is simply a vote catching bandwagon jump.

Good luck to the Millbrook campaigners - phone companies need to understand that they cannot override local concerns.

It is a scandal that the Conservatives did not address this issue when they were in power. If they had Millbrook's children would not now be facing the hazards they are, in the shadow of this 'Monster Mast'.

Jan Powell

Liskeard Town Councillor