A bid to build a mobile phone mast in one of the most scenic spots in Sussex looks likely to be refused.

Campaigners fear the 45ft mast at Mill Hill, near Shoreham, would ruin the appearance of the Adur Valley, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty.

Adur District Council planning officers agree and say an application from Hutchison 3G should be rejected.

The company wants to site the mast close to historic Buckingham Barn, which was built more than 150 years ago and is now disused.

It would include a wooden monopole, three antennae, two dishes and an equipment cabin.

The council has received objections from the Society of Sussex Downsmen, the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England (CPRE), the Shoreham Society and a resident of nearby Slonk Hill Road.

A spokesman for the CPRE said: "The mast would be most obnoxious and would be directly visible from Mill Hill and would stand out when looking out from that beautiful viewpoint."

A spokesman for Sussex Downsmen said: "Buckingham Barn has been a rural landmark for at least 150 years.

"The addition of a mast and antennae, which would be up to 7m taller than that, would completely ruin the rural landscape."

Rival mobile phone company Orange lost its appeal against the council's decision to refuse a similar mast half a mile away at the River Adur flyover in 1999.

Adur planners say the Mill Hill site is considered even more sensitive because it is on an open hillside which is not disfigured by roads or other large structures.

In support of its application, Hutchison says it is Government policy to help the growth of new and existing telecoms systems.

It says alternative sites at St Nicholas Church, Shoreham, Steyning Road and at Shoreham Airport are either opposed or would not increase coverage enough.

The council's planning committee is being recommended to refuse the application when it meets on January 6.