A WORCESTERSHIRE resident says she is the only person in a village told of an "eyesore" 5G mast just five metres from her home.

Sue Law, from Holt Heath, said not only was she the only one to receive a letter about the proposed 5G installation but she has also been given only a week to object to the planning application.

She said: "I'm not happy and there's quite a lot of upset in the village too.

"I’ve spoken to our parish council chairman this morning and they weren’t informed.

"I just think it’s scandalous that we were the only household that was informed because we’re not the only household affected by this - it's going to be installed less than five metres from the wall of our house".

The letter, sent out by a third party company on behalf of CK Hutchinson Networks (UK) Ltd gives notice of a "proposed telecommunications installation", located on the "existing grass verge" off School Lane. The letter, dated July 2, says that anyone "wishing to make representations about the siting and appearance of the proposed development". needs to do it within 14 days.

However, Mrs Law said she didn't receive the letter until July 7, which was sent special delivery the day before - and she only has until July 16 to respond.

She said: "My main worries is it’s way too close to the house, which I feel will detract from the value. It’s going to be a complete eyesore and ruin the aesthetics of the village".

Mrs Law said once she realised that residents weren't aware, she made 100 copies and delivered it around the village.

She said: "People are worried about health issues, which I know hasn’t been proven yet. It's not reccomended to put masts near schools because it could affect developing children, so why us? The closest houses to the area has young children – if not near schools, why can it be close to residential properties?"

She added: "I would ask that they find an alternative site outside of the village. They should have given us more notice."

Her neighbours Kerry and Simon Neale are also unhappy about the proposed mast in the centre of the village.

Mrs Neale said: "My husband Simon and I are extremely unhappy about the proposed mast and feel that companies involved have been rather underhanded in the way that planning has been sought.

"I have not noticed a planning notice in the area of the proposed mast to inform members of the village what is being proposed. "To contact just one household I feel is quite frankly unacceptable.

She added: "Why can’t it be positioned on the outskirts of the village, where there would less health risk and further away from people’s homes? I understand that these masts have to be installed but it would be appreciated if more care and attention was taken to the placement of them as to minimise the impact on the health and wellbeing of the members of the public".

A spokesman for Three, representing CK Hutchinson, said prior to submitting the application, they wrote to ward councillors.

They said it is "standard" that after consultation, councillors are responsible for communicating the news to the surrounding area.

The spokesman said: "5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Holt Heath. We want to offer the community a reliable network experience and this site will be critical to making that happen.

"Masts needs to be situated where people will be using the service and, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage. "We carry out extensive searches and surveys to evaluate all the options. We then choose the option most likely to gain planning approval from the local council.

"This will include showing we have minimised the impact on residents and the locality.

"We try to keep masts as unobtrusive and small as possible. However, they do need to be tall enough to transmit over nearby buildings and trees to meet regulations and to ensure the signal can reach as many people as possible."

The company added the 5g rollout complied with all global standards on health and safety.

Duncan Rudge, head of planning services for Malvern Hills council, said they couldn't comment on correspondence but confirmed the application had been submitted for School Lane.

To view the application details search ref 12/01286/TC on Malvern Hills District Council's website.