A WOMAN with a rare illness says she could be forced to leave her home unless a High Court battle to prevent a mobile phone mast being built nearby succeeds.
Pam Harris suffers from a condition called electro-magnetic sensitivity, and says radiation from electrical equipment like mobile phones and microwave ovens can make her seriously ill.
Mobile phone firm Hutchison 3G has been given permission to buil
d an 25m mast near her home in Ashfields, Deeping Gate, something she fears could put her health at risk.
Her last remaining hope is for a legal case being brought by members of her community will lead to the plans being scrapped. A date has been fixed for a hearing at the High Court in London on Thursday, July 12.
Mrs Harris said: "I have been waiting a long time for this case to be heard at the High Court, because the outcome will mean an awful lot to me.
"If that mast was to go up there would be a very high risk of it compromising my health.
"I would have no choice but to sell my property and find somewhere else to live. I am desperately hoping that on July 12, justice, fair-mindedness and common sense will win the day."
As well as suffering from electro-magnetic sensitivity, Mrs Harris, who lives with her husband, John, and has three grown-up children, has an intolerance of many types of food.
She relies on specialist healthcare, including a machine which feeds her through a tube.
She said: "If I'm forced to move, not only will I be away from my children, grandchildren and close friends, but I can't guarantee my healthcare will be paid for on the NHS.
"At the moment it is, but it's a postcode lottery as to whether it would be elsewhere."
A group of Deeping Gate residents decided to take legal action early last year after a planning inspector approved proposals to construct the mast in Suttons Lane.
They raised £16,000 to bring their case to the High Court and have waited until now for a date for the hearing to be fixed, although they will not be allowed to use Mrs Harris's health problems in evidence.
Tony Wheatcroft, co-ordinator of the Deeping Mast Action Group, said he was confident of success.
He said: "We are nearly there and support is valued more than ever. People's generosity has already raised more than £16,000 and has given our campaign momentum and direction. Now we're on the finishing straight."
A spokesman for Hutchison 3G said it was not in a position to comment on the case because the claim was not being made against the firm itself.
The action group is holding a public meeting at Northborough Village Hall on Wednesday, June 13, at 8pm to discuss the upcoming court case and Mrs Harris's plight. All are welcome to attend.
