COUNCILLORS have won a battle to stop a phone mast being built.

As reported in the Adver at the end of last month, phone company O2 started to build a mast near the Purton Road roundabout on Akers Way.

This came as a surprise to Swindon Council, which thought it had refused planning permission for the mast, and which said it would be taking enforcement action against the scheme, which involved installing temporary traffic lights.

However, after a meeting between O2 council officers and councillors organised by Coun Stephanie Exell (Con, Moredon), O2 has said that it will not put up the mast at that site.

Coun Exell said she was delighted with the result.

"O2 has acknowledged that there has been a failure in communication between their agent and themselves," she said.

"Common sense has prevailed because O2 have agreed to our request to abandon plans."

Coun Colin Lovell, who also represents the area, said: "This is a fantastic result for local residents and O2 have learned a valuable lesson that they cannot ignore the concerns of local people.

"We were very surprised when they started working on it. We asked them to stop and we got the council to enforce that they stopped work. O2 is going to look for an alternative site, which I understand is perfectly possible, and I look forward to both sides' continued co-operation.

"We're very much on the side of the residents, who wanted it moved, and we'll be keeping an eye on the situation."

Residents were unhappy that the work had started.

Speaking last month, Joanna Hunt, 39, said: "If permission was not granted why have they been allowed to start work anyway?

"I think it is disgraceful that a big company thinks it can just do what it likes regardless of the rules. There are so many health problems linked to living near phone masts."

However, O2 had always insisted that it did have planning permission for the mast, and that it had done nothing wrong. It was unavailable for comment last night.

Earlier this year, residents in Manor Crescent, at the other end of Akers Way, were celebrating after the firm agreed to move a mast several hundred yards away from houses and into the Cheney Manor industrial estate.