THREE Bolton councillors have hit back at claims they have not done enough for residents fighting plans to erect a mobile phone mast in their community.

But furious residents have countered by claiming that Tonge Ward councillors Nick Peel, Frank White and Elaine Sherrington have "lain down before the fight is over".

Residents in and around Firwood Fold embarked on a high profile campaign to block plans for the Securior mast at Tonge Cricket Club and were backed in their fight by the council who refused the planning application.

The residents and council listed a number of objections including impact on visual amenity, affect on house prices, health concerns surrounding mobile phone masts and the fact that the area lies within Bolton's Green Belt, as reasons to refuse the bid.

But they were left reeling when an appeal against the council's decision was upheld by the Bristol-based Planning Inspectorate.

Now residents want the council to continue the fight against the masts through the courts but the council maintain they have done all they can.

Residents' spokesman Leane Thornton, whose Brailsford Road home is one of the closest to the proposed mast, said they held a public meeting on Sunday night to discuss the way forward.

"None of the councillors came to the meeting which was very disappointing," said Mrs Thornton. "And now they are saying they have done all they can.

"It seems they were very interested at first but as soon as it has got a bit tough they have rolled over and lain down."

She added: "I have told the councillors they are only interested in our votes and if its a fight they might not win easily they don't want to know."

Hundreds of residents wrote to the Planning Inspectorate in objection to the plans and they are now raising money to seek their own legal advice.

Mrs Thornton added: "The councillors advised us to object on visual grounds but I have since discovered that the Inspectorate have rejected mast plans in the path over health worries but they told us we would get nowhere with this.

"We have a school nearby and feel we have been given the wrong advice and now the council don't want to know when they should be fighting for us,"

But Cllrs Peel, White and Sherrington have hit back in the form of a letter to BEN addressed to the residents of Firwood Fold.

They state: "It is with sadness that we are forced to send this letter to your newspaper after being accused by the residents' spokesperson of "being only interested in votes".

"The residents were warned at that time that the applicant was fully entitled to appeal against this decision to the independent Planning Inspectorate, and this subsequently happened. Unfortunately, the Inspectorate upheld the appeal."

They add: "The Inspectorate has the final say in planning matters, unless there is evidence that they had acted illegally or above their powers, in which case, one would seek a judicial review at the High Court.

"We have absolutely no evidence at all that this has happened, and so would not recommend that the Local Authority spend council taxpayers money on pursuing an unwinable case through the courts.

"We feel that we have represented the views of our constituents at Firwood Fold to the best of our ability, and will continue to do so.

"We also feel that the Planning Committee supported the local residents in coming to the decision that it had made. Unfortunately, we do not have the last word in these issues."