PARENTS are angry that a site has been earmarked for a phone mast yards from a Cheddar school. Phone giant O2 has applied for planning permission to put up a 15m high mast with three antennas

PARENTS are angry that a site has been earmarked for a phone mast yards from a Cheddar school.Phone giant O2 has applied for planning permission to put up a 15m high mast with three antennas in Cheddar Business Park, Wedmore Road, near King's of Wessex School.A parent, who wished not to be named, said: "A lot of parents are very concerned that this mast will be so close to the school. There's been a lot in the media about the health risks with phone masts and we don't know what damage it could do."Cheddar Parish Council reacted angrily to earlier plans by O2 to enlarge its mast in Batts Coombe Quarry.Councillors argued proposals for the 17.25m mast that would serve customers with '3G' technology was not necessary.In November Sedgemoor District Council approved plans submitted by T-Mobile to build a 14m high mast near Batts Coombe Quarry despite opposition from villagers and the council.Parish councillor Peter Lythgoe, who is also chairman of governors at Kings of Wessex, said: "O2 has already put up a mast in the village and I don't understand why there's need to put up another one."Parents are going to be very upset about this if it goes through because the school's playing fields are just yards away from the business park."O2 spokesman Dave Massey said: "We work with the local planning authorities to try to pick the best possible locations for our sites, but it's sometimes difficult to find places that suit everybody's requirements."Planning officers at Sedgemoor are looking at the site and will make a decision next month on whether the mast will look out of place.