RESIDENTS are furious after a 65ft-high 5G phone mast was put up WITHOUT permission and has still not been turned on ten months later.
The pole was installed by Three network and erected on Bluebell Road in Ashford, Kent, in September last year.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) rejected the plans in 2021 after residents expressed their concern over the location, possible health issues and it being an eyesore.
However, Three said the council did not refuse the application within the given deadline and so the company felt entitled to go ahead.
‘Appalled’ local residents say that on top of their anger at the unexpected installation, the tower has not even been turned on yet – leaving them without signal.
One said: “Ten months on and while the mast is still here it has not been switched on.
“Why? When will it be? If it’s not used, will the mast be removed?
“Currently we have the worst of both worlds: all eye-sore and no benefits.”
A spokesman for Three network confirmed that the mast is currently inactive – but will go live ‘soon’.
Despite some controversy, many residents supported the installation of the mast to improve poor local phone signal.
In August 2022, more than 140 people in the Park Farm and Bridgefield areas signed a petition calling for a “long-overdue” 5G mast to be installed near their homes.
The first plans for a telecoms mast were floated by the network in 2011, but the scheme failed to pan out – sparking a decade-long battle for a new mast.
The Sun has contacted Three and Ashford Borough Council for comment.
