A CONCERNED father says he will consider moving home if a phone mast is approved near his children’s school.

Angelo Attard-Montalto, 44, is concerned the proposed 12-metre mast in Richmond Road, Chingford, could be harmful to children who attend St Mary’s Catholic School in nearby Station Road - including his.

His fears for his children, aged four, five and seven, are compounded by the fact that there is already a phone mast near his home in Connaught Avenue.

He believes children may be vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation given off by the transmitters but scientists say, after extensive research, there is no evidence to support this.

Mr Attard-Montalto said: “I have started a petition about this because not many people knew about it when I was talking to them.

“I want to raise awareness. We might not see the health effects straight away, but possible health risks will only come to light in about 30 years.”

“Children are still developing. They should not be exposed to this, especially when it could be potentially harmful.

“I'm hoping this won't get passed. If it is, I am seriously considering moving somewhere else.

Jim Stevenson, a spokesman for O2 and Vodafone, said: “We are proposing the mast to give a better services to our customers. The service is good in the area but it can be flaky sometimes.

“We hope the service can improve this. We have a mast about 2km away, but this should add to it.

“We do tell anyone that asks us that there have been a lot of scientific studies done over the last two years.

“None of them have come up with any health or safety problems related to phone masts or mobile phones. We are satisfied with the research.”

An application for a 15 metre mast in Shernhall Street in Walthamstow was recently turned down following a campaign by local residents.

The committee said the location was inappropriate.