A NEW row has broken out over a controversial mobile phone mast and its ability to interfere with car alarms.

The mast is sited on the roof of Prestwich Longfield Suite and local woman Mrs Margaret Barratt claims that she has been forced to abandon shopping trips to the centre as a result.

Blaming the telecommunications mast, Mrs Barratt (53), of Butterstile Lane, Prestwich, said she no longer feels safe driving into the village after her Ford Escort alarm went haywire and the vehicle was immobilised on a recent visit to the car park at the rear of the centre.

She said: "Apart from it being very inconvenient, I am frightened to take the car down there in case it breaks down again. It's not the safest place to be stranded, especially at night."

Mrs Barratt said she had to leave the car and get a taxi home after she tried in vain to start the engine, and had to return later.

She said: "When I got back there was a man from the AA attending to another car which was suffering from the same problem. He said three other people in the last few months had also had problems."

Mrs Barratt said the AA mechanic suggested she push the car a few yards, away from the mast, and try it then, but after that failed he offered to tow her home.

Mrs Barratt added: "The same thing happened when I visited my mother's house in nearby Chester Street. I'm on edge now wondering when it will happen again. It has stopped me from shopping in the village but I can't stop going to see my mum. I'll have to catch a bus to her house." Last year Dolphin Telecommunications, the company which owns the equipment, managed to defuse the anger of motorists by offering to retune the mast after it came under fire for causing havoc with car alarms.

A spokesman for the company said: "We have experienced some problems on that site before and made changes that should have resolved the issue. The Radio Activated Key Entry (RAKE) team have since been back to the site to investigate. They discovered that some of the changes made may be causing these new problems and will put things back to normal."

He stressed that the company was putting pressure on the manufacturers of car alarms to adjust THEIR equipment to avoid any future conflict of frequency.

In the meantime he suggested motorists hold the key fob close to the vehicle along the bottom of the windscreen, and ensure that the battery is working in the fob. Alternatively, drivers might try to move their car a few yards away from the equipment. He also added that most cars have a manual override switch hidden somewhere in the vehicle.