FAMILIES living near Marlborough telephone exchange have been joined by councillors in sending out the strongest possible signals that mobile phone transmitters are not wanted on the building, now or ever.

Plans have been received for two masts to go on top of the exchange in Lower Prospect where residents claim BT illegally erected one several months ago without planning consent.

A planning application for the unauthorised transmitter dish was received by Kennet District Council this week.

Two years ago local families found themselves in an identical position when they fought off plans for transmitters to be placed on top of the exchange that is surrounded by homes.

One hundred objections were received to the plans for three transmitter masts in 2002 and the application was turned down by Kennet on four grounds:

l Harm to the amenity of the area

l Visual intrusion

l Harm to the conservation setting

l The health fears of neighbours

On Monday Marlborough Town Council planning committee voted unanimously to reject the latest planning applications for similar reasons.

About 40 residents attended the town council planning committee and applauded the decision to reject the plans .

Coun Nick Fogg, who had spoken of international health fears over transmitter masts, proposed the council should reject the plans because of the environmental impact, the impact on the conservation area and fears over health hazards.

Some residents had told the meeting they were fed up with having to continually fight plans to put transmitter masts on the exchange.

This prompted Coun Stewart Dobson to add a rider to the council's decision, again supported unanimously, that the site was considered totally unsuitable for transmitter masts both now or at any time in the future.

The two mast applications had been submitted by Crown Castle on behalf of mobile phone service providers T Mobile and 3.

Planning consultant Robert Lofthouse who attended the meeting to speak for Crown Castle said mobile phone service providers wanted to have their transmitters as close as possible to the centre of the area they covered.

That was his response to a member of the public saying there was an existing transmitter mast in Savernake Forest and, she thought, that was where the proposed new transmitters should go.

Responding to residents' fears over transmissions affecting their health, Mr Lofthouse said the proposed emissions were well within the government's safety guidelines.

Biochemist Brian McLintock who lives in Blowhorn Street said: "We are concerned about health because we do not know what the long term effects of this kind of radiation will be.

"There are no safe levels. The safety levels we are currently working to are out of date."

Rachel Skittrall who lives in Alexandra Terrace just a few yards from the exchange said the complete exchange should be moved out of the residential area and on to the new business park under construction in Salisbury Road.

School teacher Peter Hussey whose children's bedrooms are just yards from the exchange, said research had shown there were signs of "cancer clusters" in the vicinity of phone masts.