A petition has been launched to fight plans for a 10ft mobile phone mast in Brickhill Drive.

Mobile phone giant Vodafone is working on a pre-application consultation on the scheme, which would see a 'base station' erected at the junction with Kimbolton Road.

But borough councillors Peter Hand and Andrew McConnell (Con, Brickhill) are concerned about the health issues and have started collecting signatures for a petition opposing the plan.

Coun Hand said: "Our big concern is that Vodafone do not seem to have investigated the possibility of mast-sharing.

"And there is the worry of it being so close to both Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School, Little Pilgrims Nursery and Maydenbury House residential care home for the elderly.

"There is no evidence to prove that having mobile phone masts close to schools and homes does not cause harm. Bedfordshire County Council has a complete moratorium on building phone masts on its land, and I think local people will be strongly opposed to this."

A spokesman for Vodafone said: "The proposed radio base station at Brickhill Drive, Bedford, is required to improve the 3G coverage to our customers in the local area.

"This location was chosen following consideration of at least 15 other sites as it provides a backdrop against which the proposed base station will not be visually intrusive.

"We are currently undertaking pre-application consultation with the local community and ward councillors and have received feedback from local residents, two ward councillors and a local school. We recognise that there are some concerns over the proposed development and Vodafone takes these very seriously.

"All of our radio base stations are designed, built and operated in accordance with precautionary international exposure guidelines laid down by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

"Independent bodies such as the World Health Organisation have endorsed the adoption of these guidelines and have concluded that there is no adverse health effects at exposures below these guidelines"