RESIDENTS in Bournemouth have expressed concerns after a 5G mast was put up in front of their homes.

The 15-metre mast has been erected on a grass island between Ibbertson Road and Castle Lane West, within view of residential properties.

The mobile network Three, was granted planning permission for the mast by the council on June 21 2021.

Site notices were posted in the vicinity of the site on April 6 2021 with an expiry date for consultation of May 7 2021.

One resident who was unhappy with the consultation process, said: “You just think as a neighbourly goodwill gesture, they’d at least put a letter through your door to basically say this is what we’re thinking of doing and were going to hold a meeting at a venue for any neighbours that would like to come along.

“If we were aware of it then we would have rejected it and voiced our concerns on the health implications of it in close vicinity to our houses.

“Another knock on effect would be if we wanted to sell our house and people being put off because of it.”

Another resident who was unhappy about the proximity of the mast to their house said: “I feel quite annoyed about it, it is very unsightly and its very close to the proximity of my building and usually when they put these things in, they usually put them up high and on top of non-residential buildings.”

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

“Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage.

“We carry out extensive searches and surveys to evaluate all the options including taking into account impacts on the locality before selecting a preferred site.”

Read more: Southbourne residents protest 5G mast plans