The issue of mobile phone masts is not dissimilar to the case of the red flag in front of a car when motoring was first introduced.

The masts are a necessity if one wants mobile phones and I cannot see anyone banning them. My phone has been most useful in two emergencies when I was stranded in the night in the middle of the M23.

So where should the masts be located? I think the spires or towers of churches are the ideal places as they are distant enough not to create any radiation hazards to the public.

The church, which is a community body, badly needs funds to run valuable programmes and this is one way to get them.

In the countryside, this greater height would increase the range, thereby calling for far fewer installations for a given coverage than if put on lower, unsightly towers. It is a win-win for all.

-Harold de Souza, Nevill Road, Rottingdean