PEOPLE power has toppled plans for a 72ft mobile phone mast near Selby.

Villagers at Brayton united in fierce opposition to the proposed mast - and last night they won the backing of Selby District Council.

Members of the council's planning committee voted 11-2 to throw out the application - despite a recommendation for approval by planning officers.

They agreed the mast was in the wrong place and would dominate the landscape in an area of open countryside.

Today relieved residents - who claimed the mast would pose unacceptable health risks and create a blot on the landscape - were celebrating a "victory for common sense."

Mobile phone giant Orange PCS Ltd said it needed the antennae and dishes to improve coverage to the south of Selby.

A company spokeswoman said today: "In the light of last night's decision, we are now reviewing our options on a suitable way forward."

The spokeswoman said there was no conclusive evidence that made a link between exposure to radio waves, transmitter masts and long-term public health risks.

Brayton Parish Council chairman Ian Nutt said: "The planning committee listened to the people of Brayton and I would like to thank them for their support."

The Vicar of Brayton, the Reverend David Reynolds, said: "It's a sensible decision and I'm very pleased. It's a totally inappropriate place for a mobile phone mast."

Orange applied to install the mast at Moat Farm, in Brackenhill Lane, Brayton.

Planning officers said it would be almost impossible to reject the application on health grounds because the nearest houses were several hundred metres away - and the visual intrusion was not "significant".

But Coun Mark Crane told last night's committee meeting: "Feelings are running very high in Brayton and people are genuinely upset.

"It would be visible from a long distance and is also next to the cemetery."

A petition with 80 signatures was presented to the committee, along with 17 letters of objection.

One mother wrote to the council airing fears for the safety of her two children, whose bedrooms were in direct line with the proposed mast.

Updated: 16:02 Thursday, February 21, 2002