CAMPAIGNERS are making a final bid to prevent a radio mast being erected in the heart of one of North Yorkshire's most spectacular landscapes.

North York Moors National Park members will decide today whether to allow BT to build a ten-metre high mast in Farndale, the famous daffodil dale on the North York Moors. The mast would be part of a new, high-tech national police communication system. The North Yorkshire force is hoping to be the second in the country to start using it.

But local people who have fought against the scheme are now attempting to persuade national park members to delay their decision until the results of a similar scheme in Lancashire are known.

The planned position and height of the mast have already been changed in response to pressure from local people.

But the campaigners say that while that improves the aesthetic problem, it does nothing to address concerns about the impact of microwave radiation on plants, wildlife and livestock.

Letters were sent out at the weekend to all the members of the national park asking them to hold any decision until after the Lancashire scheme is operational.

"The long-term risks to the environment and health are not fully known," said Liz McCabe, one of the co-authors of the letter, yesterday.

The campaigners point to research published by Friends of the Earth which they claim shows a "clear association" between the type of radiation emitted by the proposed mast and damage to the environment.

In their letter the campaigners say: "We believe it would be prudent to await the results of the Lancashire pilot project before making a final decision regarding Farndale."

The mast would eventually form part of a network, believed to be the most advanced of its kind in the world, that would fill in communication "black holes". National parkmembers will discuss the issue at Helmsley today