CAMPAIGNERS are collecting signatures for a petition against a mobile phone mast near their homes in Canterbury.

Residents in Roper Road are fighting a second application by Vodafone whose first proposal for a mast was rejected by the city council.

Now the telecommunications giant has put forward a fresh plan for a slimmed down antenna on the same building on land owned by Railtrack.

The first plan was rejected by the city council's planning committee after complaints by residents who said it would be an eyesore in a conservation area and could be a health risk.

Campaigner Terrylee Cox said: "It doesn't make any difference that this latest mast is a slimmed down version, it is still going to be a monstrosity in a conservation area. Also, the same concerns about the health risks still apply.

"We are getting a petition together which will be presented to the city council and we will certainly want to speak out against it when the proposal is discussed by the s planning committee."

While the county council has issued a blanket ban on mobile masts on its property, the city council has not committed itself on its policy and is awaiting a comprehensive report on communication antennas.

But an application by Orange for a mast on the Marlowe Theatre is due to be recommended for approval by the council's property and engineering committee this week.

That proposal had already met with complaints by local residents, again over its impact on the skyline and health risks. But the council has conceded there is no suitable alternative site in the city centre which would have less visual impact on the surrounding area.