PLANS to increase the height of a mobile phone mast in the New Forest have been approved - despite strong protests from a nearby school.

Members of New Forest Council were told that the controversial application had resulted in a letter of objection from Burgate School, near Fordingbridge.

The letter said parents, governors and staff were worried about the potential danger to public health.

Airwave MMO2 Ltd intends to add four metres to the height of an 18-metre mast at Burgate Manor Farm, which is just 120 metres from the school.

Health fears have also been expressed by people living in nearby Langley Garden.

Residents who lobbied a meeting of the council's planning committee said they were concerned about the amount of microwave radiation emitted by the mast.

Brockenhurst councillor Maureen Holding highlighted a recent scare at Wishaw, Warwickshire, where seven people living near a similar structure have been diagnosed with cancer.

Other speakers said the potential health risks were unproven but described mobile phone masts as a blot on the landscape. Planning officer Chris Elliott warned that the applicant would seek consent to build another mast in the same area if the extension were rejected.

Totton member Robin Harrison said: "We're caught between a rock and a hard place. The existing structure is pretty ugly, but the alternative is a second mast."

A report to councillors said: "Proposals of this nature invariably attract concerns regarding the health effects of radiation. The evidence is that the proposal complies with standards. Even in a worst case scenario, any radio emissions on Burgate School or nearby properties would be many times less than the guidelines."