MOBILE phone firm Orange has appealed against the refusal of planning permission for an 80ft mast at West Malvern.

Villagers are now being urged to write in and state their objections once again.

The application was submitted in February but, because the site was a few yards over the boundary in the Herefordshire parish of Mathon, people in West Malvern, under a different planning authority, were not originally informed.

Resident Claire Deshmukh saw a planning notice at the site, printed up hundreds of leaflets at her own expense and distributed to villagers warning them of the plan.

Now she is urging everyone to write in again.

She said: "All those who wrote in about the original plan should be notified about the appeal. But there may be many others who need to be told about it."

Orange wants to build the tree-style mast with four dish antennas at Croft Farm Drive, in the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Herefordshire Council refused to grant planning permission in May because of its intrusion into the AONB.

The plan drew objections from West Malvern Parish Council, St James's School and the Malvern Hills Conservators, as well as members of the public.

The appeal will be heard by written representation, not by public inquiry. The deadline for objections is November 13.