AN ANGRY Blackpool pensioner has slammed a major phone company for putting up an aerial in the middle of a residential area.

Terence Gill, of Cambray Road, North Shore, says locals fear not only for their health but also the value of their houses after BT Cellnet put up a mobile phone antenna on top of the former BT exchange building nearby.

This comes hot on the heels of a recent Citizen report on the Blackpool water tower mobile mast.

Terence, 72, said locals were "in uproar". "BT Cellnet has erected a mast about 50 yards from my back window," he said. "This is slap bang right in the middle of a residential area.

"A friend of mine who is an estate agent said I have lost at least £10-20,000 off the value of my house. There's a lot of elderly people round here and they are angry."

He added residents also wanted to know why they had not been told about the antenna. "The council just doesn't want to know. They say they don't need planning permission. Why were the people not consulted? It's a form of tyranny to me -- you have no say. We don't want to start the business of a petition but we will if necessary. But the health risk to me is the most important thing. Who wants anything to do with radiation in their back garden?"

A spokesman for BT Cellnet confirmed it was their antenna, adding: "The National Radiological Protection Board has advised that there is currently no convincing scientific evidence of a risk to health through exposure to radio frequency waves below the national guidelines.

"At ground level, emissions from cellular transmitters are usually around at least 100 times below the NRPB guidelines.

"We attempt to locate, as far as possible, new base stations on sites that minimise their social impact on the local community while ensuring the public's expectation of good quality of service is met."

A spokesman for the council's planning department said he understood the antenna was covered by permitted development rights within the Town and Country Planning General Permitted Development Order 1995, which effectively means BT Cellnet did not need to apply for planning permission, nor was there any requirement for residents to be notified.