Villagers are set to win their battle against plans to build a 25m mobile phone mast.

The parish council and residents at Wisborough Green, near Billingshurst, had objected to the plan when it was first unveiled by Orange.

But critics agreed to a mock mast being erected on the site close to Billingshurst Road to get more idea of what it would like.

A report to planners said even more people had objected after the demonstration and the parish council said its original fears had been reinforced.

A parish council spokesman said: "The mast will ruin the presently unobstructed views across the Weald to the South Downs and it is a wholly inappropriate site."

One resident told Chichester District Council the mast used in the demonstration was "hideous, a monstrosity and an obscenity".

Orange told the council the site is badly needed to provide radio coverage in the area and said the mast has been designed "sympathetically" to blend in with the surroundings.

It said talks had been held about a sharing arrangement with BT Cellnet which is also looking for a site in the same area which would avoid the need for a second mast.

District councillors at Chichester meeting next Tuesday are being recommended to refuse planning permission.