TWO Swindon mums have pleaded with the Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review the potential health risks if a plan for borough-wide wifi goes ahead.

Rachel Bridden and Martine Steinhardt – both mums of two – spoke at last night’s meeting of the committee which was tasked to consider the potential public health consequences of borough-wide wifi coverage to be implemented later this year.

Wifi allows a computer to connect to the internet wirelessly.

Swindon Council has teamed up with digital technology firm aQovia to create Digital City UK, an organisation which under the operating name ‘Signal’, will install a wireless mesh covering the whole of the town by April.

But Ms Bridden and Ms Steinhardt voiced concerns about the plans which offer no option to ‘opt out’.

Ms Bridden said: “As mothers we are concerned about the accumulative levels on non-ionizing radiation on our children.

“In particular we are concerned by the constant exposure from the mesh which we will have no control over. Therefore, our question is; do individuals have the right to request that the mini-mast or router not be situated outside their home? Likewise if a street wishes to opt-out on the same basis would such a request be granted?”

The pair asked the council to investigate the potential health implications of the network before agreeing to let it go ahead.

Committee chair, Coun Peter Mallinson said that neither of the questions could be answered within the forum of the meeting but that written replied would be given. Dr Jenny Harries, public health director for NHS Swindon said that the Health Protection Agency said there was no causal link between wifi and the symptoms patients reported and that there was no specific evidence of potential risk to health through the scheme as the wifi emitted significantly less radiation than a mobile phone, televisions and other household items.

She said: “My job is to protect the health of people in Swindon.

“If we saw a rise [in cancer cases] we’d go looking for why.”

But Councillor Maurice Fanning said: “All of us sitting round here have had to accept the experts are giving us the latest information. But I am long enough in the tooth to remember when asbestos was the insultor of choice. I worked on Easter Island and we were told that the way to protect ourselves [from radiation] was to look at where the bomb detonated.”

The Committee unanimously voted to confirm its agreement to the implementation of borough-wide wifi coverage in Swindon, based on the best currently available scientific evidence.