East Sussex residents claim children will be unsafe if new 5G mast is turned on

The mast, located on Nevill Road, is attracting huge opposition from residents and parents with children at the adjacent nursery and primary school in Lewes.

They claim the technology is not safe for young children, who are more vulnerable to the effects of radiation.

One resident said: “This mast should never have been built. The whole planning application and decision process have been full of errors. This technology has not been proven safe, especially for young children, who are much more vulnerable to the effects of radiation.”

Residents fear the mast, built by telecoms company Three, does not meet the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s (ICNIRP) guidelines for radiation exposure.

Locals say a public footpath, which runs up the slope from the base of the mast to the school entrance above, wasn’t included on the planning drawings.

One parent said: “The footpath is used by children as young as three and their families every day. If it wasn’t on the plan, how can we be sure it was included in the safety calculations?” 

Parents and residents started a petition last week, calling on the Lewes District Council to take enforcement action to ensure the mast is not switched on and that no further applications for masts in the town are approved.

Currently, the petition has more than 400 signatures.

The district council told SussexWorld it was liaising with the developer over matters that have been raised.

The planning application for the mast stated that there was an “acute need” for a 5G mast in this location to address a “coverage hole”.

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However, Three’s own website shows that the 5G coverage gap is about 20 miles wide, leaving many confused as to why this specific location was chosen and approved.

Furthermore, they claim the mast is not built in accordance with the approved plans, stating that it is much wider and more obtrusive and in a location closer to the nursery.

Residents are now in discussion with the planning authorities and are seeking further legal advice.

A Three spokesperson said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Lewes. We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and a new site will be critical to making that happen.

"Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage. We carry out extensive searches and evaluate a wide range of options before submitting any planning applications.

“We are aware that there have been some concerns raised. However, from a health and safety perspective, 5G deployment is no different to any other mobile technology.

"All generations of mobile technology used by Three comply with guidelines to ensure that no harmful levels of radiation are emitted. As a responsible company, we take our obligation to run a safe network very seriously and actively work to ensure that our network remains compliant with international guidelines.”