POTENTIAL health risks of Swindon’s wi-fi project will be discussed at an emergency meeting in January.

The effects of a wi-fi wireless “mesh” covering the whole of Swindon will be investigated by Swindon Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee at a special meeting, the date of which has yet to be announced.

Organisers of the Signal project say there is no need for further investigation of the health implications as official Government advice says wi-fi networks are safe.

But Coun Peter Mallinson (Con, Walcot), chair of the health overview and scrutiny committee, has broken ranks with his own party to demand the issue is examined.

He said: “We have a duty to look at this. I want to hear from the experts exactly what the effects of this will be. If we find that there are dangers then I think we need to say – hold on, let’s think again about this.”

The project to cover the whole of the town in a wi-fi network, delivered by 1,400 access points, will go live in Highworth next week and is expected to be rolled across the borough by the end of April.

But Coun Mallinson is worried the project could be moving forward too fast.

He said: “This was just presented to us, we were not really consulted. I think the committee should have the chance to take a step back and take a balanced look at this.

“I am not saying that wi-fi is dangerous. I don’t know. That’s why we need to have this discussion.

“A lot of people are talking about this and I think there will be a lot of interest in this meeting. We might have to move it to the council chambers to fit everyone in.

“It reminds me in many ways of the momentum that was generated by the libraries debate. This won’t just go away quietly.”

Rikki Hunt, the man running the project alongside Swindon Council and IT company aQovia, said he was following Government advice.

He said: “The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said very clearly that wi-fi is safe. That is the advice that is out there and that is all we have to go on.

“I am not a scientist. All I can do is trust the Government’s experts.

“I can understand why people would be concerned but I’m not sure what else we could do.”

The HPA’s website states: “There is no consistent evidence to date that wi-fi and Wireless Local Area Networks adversely affect the health of the general population.

“The signals are very low power, typically 0.1 watt (100 milliwatts) in both the computer and the router (access point) and the results so far show exposures are well within internationally accepted guidelines. Based on current knowledge and experience, radio frequency exposures from wi-fi are likely to be lower than those from mobile phones.”