Residents of a Cornish village are again protesting at the site of a new police radio mast.

Contractors, accompanied by six police officers, arrived early on Tuesday morning at the Bossiney site to start work.

It was the contractors' sixth attempt to add an extension to the existing telecommunications mast owned by NTL.

Local residents are concerned the mast poses a risk to health.

Improve communications

"The fight's not over at all," said Deborah Squires, who lives next to the mast.

"This is definitely a very sad day but we shall now lobby NTL, who have said they will look into a feasibility study to move the mast.

"We have also asked the North Cornwall planning office to postpone the decision on the mast in Delabole."

Charles St George of Airwave, the company installing the system, said: "There has been a mast here for over 20 years and the exisiting telecoms and TV equipment on it has been transmitting for many years apparently without ill effect.

"The planning system says that wherever possible you should site your equipment on exisiting telecoms masts otherwise it will lead to a proliferation of these masts around the country which obviously is undesirable."

The existing mast is owned by NTL.

The new system is designed to improve communications for the police and other emergency services.