THE risks of 5G mobile technology will be considered by councillors in September after campaigners raised concerns about its health impact earlier this month.

Dozens of people attended the July 12 meeting of the BCP Council cabinet and called for a full assessment of its effects to be carried out.

And now the chairman of its scrutiny board has invited people from both sides of the debate to attend a “call for evidence” at its September meeting.

In May, Vodafone announced that Bournemouth had been included in the second phase of the planned roll-out of the new technology starting later this year.

But concerns have been raised about the impact it could have on the health of the public.

A petition was handed to the cabinet by Michael Forte warning about the “unknown” long-term effects of exposure to 5G signals.

“It is the view of many people in the community that they feel very concerned about the proposed introduction, installation and operation of 5G technology in the BCP city region,” it said.

“Their primary fear is that this new and largely untested 5G technology still has not had any publicly available official government safety reports or environmental or health risk assessments.”

Speaking at the meeting, council leader Cllr Vikki Slade the impacts will be examined when formal proposals are put to the council.

The government has said there is likely to be a “small increase” in exposure to radio waves but that overall this was “expected to remain low”.

Despite this, council overview and scrutiny board chairman Cllr Philip Broadhead has arranged for the impact of 5G to be considered at its next meeting in September.

“I have been struck by the number of people who have reached out with concerns over this emerging technology,” he said.

“By giving those with an interest in this field a forum to bring evidence to us, it will enable the board to look in real detail at the balance between the possible health risks along with the economic impacts both for and against the roll-out.”

The board, which meets shortly before every cabinet meeting, is likely to hold two meetings in September due to the volume of topics expected to be considered by senior councillors that month.