COUNCIL officials have apologised to residents after an error meant a huge phone mast which should have been banned was put up regardless.

Now homeowners who thought they had won their campaign to stop Orange erecting the mast have it towering above them, only yards away from their houses in Dargets Road, Walderslade, Chatham.

It is likely to remain there indefinitely because Medway Council will now have to take legal action to get it removed.

The saga began in June when the mobile phone company applied for planning permission for the mast which is more than 25ft high. Residents concerned about possible health problems and the mast's unsightliness, lodged their protest to prevent it being put up.

In August councillors on the area development control committee overwhelmingly backed them and permission was refused. But because officials failed to complete the paperwork before the 56-day deadline, Orange deemed it was entitled to erect the mast - and did so.

A council spokesman said the mistake was due to "a system error," which meant the time limits over-ran by one day.

The residents could not believe when they awoke at the weekend to see workers from the phone company mapping out where the mast was going.

Mum Kerry Lawrence spent three months tirelessly fighting against the proposal and now says she is so upset she cannot sleep.

She said: "When we got a letter from the council confirming refusal we thought we had got it sorted. But it seems our futures lies in the hands of a computer. It shouldn't have been left to the last minute anyway."

Mrs Lawrence also fears for the safety of her son Nicholas, five, who regulary plays in the field where the mast has been installed. She said: "I use a mobile myself and see the need for the masts but why here?"

Her neighbour, mother-of two Leann Roberts added: "We feel let down by the council. We did everything we had to do to stop the mast and now we are paying the price. We pay a lot of council tax and feel they owe us some sort of compensation."

A council spokesman said the error has been corrected and the council has asked Orange not to erect the mast. He added: "However, the company has so far not been co-operative. Medway Council apologises to local residents for what has happened and will continue to see if anything further can be done.

Chatham and Aylesford MP Jonathan Shaw said: "I can understand local residents' frustration and disappointment at being let down by the bureaucratic process. The council really needs to get its act together to ensure that it complies with the timescale that it knows full well it must adhere to."

An Orange spokesman confirmed that the council failed to notify the decision to give or refuse approval within the set time.

He said: "Under planning policy issued by the Government last year, failure to issue a decision within the statutory period to an operator by a local planning authority allows the proposed development to proceed.

"The installation in Dargets Road will improve network coverage."