They fear possible health risks for themselves and their children if the 17.4m Vodafone mast is allowed in Caesar Road.

And they believe they have found a more suitable site - on a nearby farm at which there are already two masts.

Caesar Road resident Joe Rukin believes the alternative position in Fern Hill Farm is ideal.

He said: “I don’t see the point of having two masts belonging to two different operators in one place and having another one for another company around three-quarters of a mile away.

“I can’t understand why companies don’t share masts as a matter of course. There would be savings and they wouldn’t be messing up areas by putting more masts everywhere.”

Neighbours’ period to comment on the plans ended on Tuesday and 32 people as well as Kenilworth Town Council objected to the mast.

But Mr Rukin was furious that Warwick District Council planning committee chairman Coun Bertie Mackay (Ind, Stoneleigh) already appeared to be in favour of the plans after his comment that 3G video coverage for that area would be “remarkable” were published on the authority’s website.

There are two primary schools within 500m of Vodafone’s planned location, and Mr Rukin is concerned that microwave radiation from the masts could affect the health of children and those living nearby.

Willoughby Avenue resident Louise McCaig would live around 400m from the proposed mast. The 39-year-old has spoken to parents at nearby Clinton Primary School and says many are against it.

She said: “It is so close to where people live.

“It is inappropriate to site it in a built-up residential area. It is also on a hill so it will be visible from a long way away. It is impossible to screen something so tall.”

A Vodafone spokesman told the Weekly News: “The proposed radio base station at Caesar Road, Kenilworth is required to improve the 3G coverage to our customers in the area.

“This will provide our customers with access to mobile broadband with speeds similar to those offered by fixed line broadband suppliers.

“As part of our search for a location for this base station we did consider nearby existing base stations from other operators but these were all outside of our search area and therefore would not have provided us with the coverage that we seek,” the spokesman added.

Letters - page 24