COUNCILLORS have agreed to defer plans to build a mobile phone mast so they can consider more information.

O2 had applied to Stockton Borough Council for permission for a 20-metre mast, equipment and a fenced compound at the Thornaby Transco depot.

The application resulted in 64 letters of objection, including one from MP Dari Taylor.

Residents were concerned the mast would pose a health risk, become an eyesore and would be near houses.

They said nearby Teesside Industrial Estate would be an ideal location for the development.

Members of Stockton Borough Council's planning committee discussed the application this week, and councillors added their concerns to those of the residents.

Councillor Stephen Smailes said: "It is about time mobile phone companies got their act together.

"I think it is in the wrong position. Every time we get these applications, whether in industrial estates or close to homes, it causes a lot of upset among local residents, and mobile companies should really take heed of that.

"They are making a fortune out of it. I am not against that, but I am against it when they put in applications close to homes and schools, which sends shockwaves around the community."

Committee members agreed to defer the plans for more technical information and to look at why other sites were discounted.