A GIANT phone mast erected in Sandridge Road, Melksham, is angering residents living nearby who say it should be taken down.

The 17.5m pole, which is as tall as a three-storey house, was installed a couple of weeks ago by Vodafone and CTIL after the council gave them the go-ahead in February to replace a smaller mast already on the grass verge.

Although Wiltshire Council put up a notification to say the companies had applied for planning permission, residents did not expect it to be repositioned and dominate the view from out their windows.

Ann Taylor, 71, of Burniston Close says she has the worst view of the lot and can see it from her lounge.

“I’m not very happy," she said, "It’s not a nice view from my window. It’s the wrong place to put a mast like that. It’s so in your face.

“I would like to see it coming down or something smaller. What was wrong with the one before?”

Judith Hitchins, 73, of Churchill Avenue, added: “When the notification was received from Wiltshire Council local residents did not object because when the previous mast was proposed we tried to object but were turned down.

“When I come out my back door it is straight in my face, it really should not be there. If we knew it was going to be repositioned we would have jumped up and down a bit more.

“This size mast should have never been erected so near to bungalows and houses. Neither the council or phone company appear to have any sense of decency or compassion or indeed common sense."

A Vodafone spokesman said: "We have pledged to provide coverage to 98 per cent of the UK population. To do this we must continue to improve our network which means low-powered masts in areas where people use phones. 

"We work hard to make sure our slim poles blend in as much as possible with the street scene."