A SCATHING attack has been directed at a phone company by Twickenham MP Vincent Cable over two masts which he claims have been put up illegally.

Mr Cable has written to O2's chief executive to protest over what he calls arrogant, unethical and anti-social behaviour'.

A planning committee meeting took place last week when the council resolved to take enforcement action against the two transmitters in Twickenham, Hanworth Road and Chertsey Road.

The MP claims that the community liaison manager for the company, Mr Stephenson, said that he wanted to meet council officials privately in order to reach a deal on all the controversial O2 masts in the borough and that they would use the appeals procedure to block the council's enforcement notice.

He said: "I have never before seen such a breathtaking blatant display of corporate arrogance. They sited two masts wrongly and not in compliance with their legal authorisation.

"They could relocate them to less controversial sites for a few thousand pounds but are now trying to bluster and bully the council officials and the councillors on the planning committee, who behaved properly and commendably, as well as residents.

"This is totally unacceptable. I have told the company that they will be named and shamed in parliament and the national press unless they show some sensitivity to community feeling and treat the law with more respect."

Mr Stephenson said: "I wasn't being sneaky about it. I said I wanted to meet with them to talk to them about this. I completely agreed that there were mistakes made, I admitted this.

"We asked them not to take enforcement action until I had time to sort it out but they did, which they are within their rights to do.

"We are going to talk to the officers this week about making some changes to the sites. I was not sneaky or underhand about it.

"We were totally open and honest with them. We want to try and get it resolved as quickly as possible."