A NEW battle against a mobile phone mast is erupting in a village near Winchester.

Many residents in Hursley have been horrified to learn that Hutchison 3g is considering erecting a 20-metre mast only 60 metres from the primary school.

The proposal for the land at the junction of Main Road and Poles Lane sparked fears about the health of children and concerns that the lattice tower will blight the southern entrance to the village.

The campaign was sparked when Hutchison 3g recently wrote to nearby residents as part of its pre-application consultation.

Villagers staged a demonstration to show the unity against the idea.

Christina Arthur, of Southend Close, said: "We are concerned about the impact of the children at the school. It's too close. Residents living nearby fear it will knock 25 per cent off the value of their property.

"It is out of keeping with the rural setting. The village's overall appearance has changed very little over the centuries so the impact of a great big mast will be strong," said Mrs Arthur, who has two children at the school.

Matt O'Brien, head teacher, said: "We are shocked and outraged that they are trying to put a mast so close. I'm concerned parents may be reluctant to send children here."

The launch of the campaign comes in the week after the campaigners in Byron Avenue, Winchester, had to watch Orange erect a 12-metre mast near their homes.

The Hursley campaigners have been taking advice from Byron Avenue activists who staved off the mast for nearly five years and who say they will battle on to have the structure removed.

John Brooks, clerk of Hursley Parish Council, said: "We are astonished at the insensitivity of the proposed location. It would be a ridiculous place to put it. The parish council thinks it should be somewhere else."

A spokesman for Hutchison 3g, which trades as 3, said no decision had been made on where to site the telephone mast.

He said the company was next week speaking to a local landowner about siting the mast on his land.

A decision on siting would be made by the end of next week, he added.