A CLERGYMAN faced with scores of angry villagers ditched plans to put a mobile phone mast inside his church steeple to avoid "division, friction and unpleasantness".

More than 300 people crammed into Mellor Village Hall last night and then heard the vicar of St Mary's CE Church announce that he had decided to shelve the plans rather than divide the village.

But he warned parishioners that they would have find the money which would have come from the installation of the mast to repair and maintain the church.

The Rev Peter Hudson said: "I have been listening to the growing body of public concern in the village about the proposal to install a mobile phone base station in the tower of our parish church. I am very concerned that people are worried that this might pose a risk to health."

"I am satisfied from the advice I have taken -- based on the information from the National Radiological Protection Board -- that the installation would not be harmful to villagers. In fact, I am sure that if the parochial church council thought for one moment there was a real risk, the proposal would have been rejected immediately.

"The installation would not have any visual impact because it would be totally hidden within the tower and the benefits to the church and our community would be to provide much-needed income to further the work of the church and to maintain the fabric of the building. "It might also avoid the possibility of having an ugly mast erected in the countryside around the village -- something I think all villagers would resist."

Mr Hudson said that telecommunication giant Orange had not sent a representative to justify its plans.

He added: "I think it would cause friction, division and unpleasantness and at the end of the day we still have to live in the village."

Mr Hudson has called an urgent meeting with the PCC and hopes members will accept his decision.

"If the PCC accepts my proposal the loss of the 'windfall' will mean that we will have to work all the harder to raise income for our parish church. I would therefore ask all concerned villagers to direct whatever energies they can towards supporting the church and helping fill the gaps."

Earlier this week Mr Hudson told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that the plans, which have been discussed for more than a year, had been investigated thoroughly.

He said that agents for Orange asked for permission to install a booster pack inside the church steeple.

Since then the plans have been discussed by the Diocesan Advisory Council, which agreed them, and the Chancellor of the Diocese is currently making the final decision about the scheme.

Parish council vice-chairman Coun Charles Warkman said; "It is obvious that villagers were worried and I fell that we have avoided a split in the village which would have been extremely harmful. I am pleased we have reached a very sensible conclusion."