Nine mobile phone aerials will be put on top of a block of flats despite protests about health risks.

People who live at Mitre House, Western Road, Brighton, are outraged there has been no public consultation over the three T-Mobile antennae and six 02 antennae on their building.

Teachers and parents at neighbouring St Mary Magdalen's primary school, in Spring Street, Brighton, are also concerned for the health of the 200 children who are within 20 yards of the building.

But Brighton and Hove City Council says the aerials do not require planning permission and since Mitre House is not council-owned there is nothing it can do.

The antennae will be fixed on to two existing phone masts.

Resident Tim Evemy, 31, said: "We didn't get any option to protest. They just started putting them up. "The scaffolding went up over Easter and then they started drilling to put up the cables.

"They were here in the middle of the night with a crane lifting these huge drums of cables on to the roof.

"They were doing that from about 12.30am to 3.30am. The council may not have to give permission but they allowed the road to be closed in the middle of the night.

"Some councils do offer residents the chance to have a say but this council hasn't done anything."

Gerry McGrellis, chairman of governors at St Mary Magdalen's, said: "We have been told there is no public consultation and that's that.

"These antennae just keep going up. "If they are upgrading them, surely they are going to be more powerful."

A council spokesman said: "These works were considered permitted development. "We are not allowing masts to be placed on or near residential blocks or on or near schools but this only applies to council-owned buildings."

Paul Fairbrother, partner of Robinsons, the company which manages Mitre House, said: "They are doing some upgrades.

"This is really to do with the local authorities because no planning consent is required for these masts, so it is not really to do with us."