A mobile phone company has been given permission to extend the height of its telecomm-

unications mast at Dunmore Leisure Centre, Abingdon.

Orange can now increase the existing 25-metre tower to 30-metres at Wootton Road, to allow Vodafone to share the facility.

The tower will have six antennas, two dishes, and a new ground-based cabin.

Three residents objected on the grounds that the taller mast would ruin the landscape, and fears over the health implications of the transmitter.

However, the proposal fits with the Vale of White Horse District Council's policy of encouraging companies to share masts instead of building new towers.

The district council says the proposed Orange installation is well within council guidelines for health and safety of masts, and also meets the standards laid down by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

As the extended mast at Dunmore Leisure Centre has been given the go-ahead, plans by Vodafone for a 20-metre mast at Tisley Park are expected to be withdrawn.