GUERNSEY AIRTEL managing director David Watson was ill-equipped to answer residents’ questions about the proposal for a phone mast near Vale Mill, according to Deputy Mary Lowe. The only States representative to attend the meeting on Tuesday, at which more than 50 residents sought answers from Mr Watson, Deputy Lowe said he had told concerned neighbours he cared about the possible health risks but could not say the masts were 100% safe.

‘It was amazing that Guernsey Airtel hadn’t researched where they were placing these masts as he did not even know the Vale Mill was near the Vale School,’ she added. ‘The residents were pretty angry.’

Deputy Lowe said a talk by electromagnetic energy expert Roger Coghill at St Martin’s Community Centre last week, which was attended by more then 200 people, had backed concerns about placing a mast so close to a school.

She was also concerned at the rise in the number of applications compared with at the end of June.

‘Mr Watson answered a question as to how many masts would be put up in Guernsey and he replied 56,’ she said. ‘I reminded him the same question was asked of him a few weeks ago at the Vale people’s meeting and he had replied 51. Do they really know?’

She added that when Mr Watson was quoted a comment from the letter he had sent to 200 residents in the Vale Mill area, he did not recognise his own words.

‘Somebody read out a section from a letter which Mr Watson then queried, ﾓWhere have you got that from?ﾔ. Much to the amusement of those present, the person reading it out informed Mr Watson it was from his own letter sent to residents.’

Deputy Lowe said: ‘There was a suggestion that a walk might be arranged for all islanders to show the strength of objection to more masts.’

She added that several residents had said they would prefer to pay bigger phone bills than have more competition.

‘The States took a hammering for allowing the OUR to hand out licences without any thought for the residents or environment issues.’

Mr Watson was not prepared to comment yesterday.