People have been given just a matter of days to share their views on plans to erect a 20m phone mast near their homes.

Proposals from mobile phone operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) would see a monopole with six antennae and two dishes built on the grass verge at the junction of Sutton Road and Nottingham Avenue in Maidstone.

The location is immediately opposite the Morrisons superstore car park.

Waldron Telecommunications say they wrote to 41 nearby residents on February 8 and require responses by Thursday, March 9.

As for the wider public, details of the application were only posted on Maidstone councils website on Thursday, February 23.

The application is a known as a "Prior Notification" because telecommunications companies have the automatic right to erect masts unless the council objects.

The company says the mast will be partially obscured by existing trees, although it will tower above them.

VMO2, formerly known as O2, said the mast was needed both to improve existing 3G and 4G mobile phone coverage and to provide for the new 5G service.

It revealed eight other nearby sites were also looked at, including the roofs of the police building in Sutton Road, Senacre School, or Morrisons itself.

A ground site in Willington Street was also suggested, but none were as suitable as the proposed site.

The applicant said: "The economics and social benefits which will be brought forward by the proposal will greatly outweigh any adverse visual impact that may be caused by the installation.

It added: "High-quality communications infrastructure is essential for sustainable economic growth."

Phone masts in other locations have been met with stiff resistance.

The proposal can be found on the Maidstone council portal here, under reference number 23/500950.

The application follows fast on the heels of another from a rival company to locate a 15m high 5G mast in Selby Road, Park Wood – less than a mile away – which was approved on Monday, February 27.

Operator CK Hutchinson also revealed they had looked at a number of other possible locations, including Sutton Road.

But the firm had concluded that as far as Sutton Road was concerned: "There are no suitable verges to house a telecoms unit."

That proposal can be viewed under reference number 22/505959.