FURIOUS residents say plans for a new phone mast would be like ‘having the Eiffel Tower at the bottom of their gardens.’

Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG) had its bid for a tower in Fingringhoe rejected by Colchester Council last January.

It wanted to build a 25m tower on land in Church Road.

Fingringhoe residents appealed to MP for Harwich and north Essex, Bernard Jenkin, for backing after they were left confused about what would happen next.

The residents claim they have been left in the dark about the situation.

At a recent parish council meeting WIG and EE representatives met with the public for the first time.

In its objection of the original application, Fingringhoe Parish Council wrote it had not been consulted by WIG.

Now residents are worried mobile phone signal in Fingringhoe could be wiped out by any new tower and the level of microwaves omitted would be dangerous.

Residents said representatives explained there could be microwaves of between 800 and 1,200 megs.

One resident said: “You could fry sausages in microwaves of that density.”

Network provider EE’s small telecom mast was removed from Rowhedge wharf about a year ago to make way for a large housing estate at Rowhedge riverside.

A temporary replacement mast at Wivenhoe will be removed in six months.

Instead of replacing like with like, EE wanted to build a tower providing villages surrounding Fingringhoe with a choice of phone providers.

One resident said: “It would be like having the Eiffel Tower at the bottom of my garden.”

The proposed tower is to be built on the public footpath linking Ballast Quay Road and Ferry Road at the Anglian Water sewage works.

A spokesman for WIG said: "The deployment of radios by the mobile network operators all comply with very strict regulations in accordance with World Health Organisation guidance."