THE humble mobile phone embodies much of modern society's hopes and fears.

It symbolises technological revolution, increasing prosperity and consumer choice. But it also represents the unchecked power of globalisation, greed and a possible health threat.

Not surprisingly, therefore, our attitude to mobile phones is ambivalent. We love these little gadgets: around 40 million of them are in use in Britain today. They grant us the freedom to keep in touch in an increasingly frenetic world.

Indeed, so many of us now possess a handset that mobile phone sales have collapsed. As a result this global industry is cutting thousands of jobs with little regard for the local consequences.

The industry has also been dismissive of fears over the potential health risks of mobile phone technology. Here, public confusion is at its most marked.

On the one hand, we are happy to use mobiles and give them to our children. We also expect a crystal clear signal from wherever we phone.

On the other, we are anxious about the impact of a mobile phone transmitter mast in our neighbourhood. The Evening Press has reported several campaigns against the installation of masts on schools and churches in recent weeks.

Ignorance breeds these fears. There is a lack of clear scientific evidence one way or another about the health risks posed by these masts. But the Stewart Report did raise concerns about the siting of masts near schools and hospitals.

That report recommended that all new masts be subjected to full planning permission procedure, with residents' objections taken into account by planners. Disappointingly, the Government has chosen to ignore this.

So Harrogate MP Phil Willis has launched a website petition calling for the Stewart recommendations to be implemented in full. He is using one form of new technology to protest about another.

It is an interesting democratic experiment. If Mr Willis's online petition attracts enough signatories, both the Government and the mobile phone companies will be forced to sit up and take notice.

Updated: 11:02 Wednesday, April 25, 2001