POLICE were called after residents staged a protest over work on a mobile phone mast at the centre of a planning wrangle.

Officers were requested by workers attempting to connect electricity to a half-built mast in Cheadle.

Now Staffordshire Moorlands District Council says planning permission has not been given and has pledged to take legal action against Vodafone for proceeding with work in Brookhouse Way.

The authority sent enforcement officers to the scene after a flood of calls from worried residents.

Among protesters yesterday was grandfather Barry Snape, of Greenways.

He was threatened with arrest after attempting to stop Central Networks connecting the electricity supply.

The 67-year-old said: "I live closest to the mast, it is only 59 yards from my home. I have got four grandchildren and my daughter has told me she will not bring them to visit if the mast is erected."

Alan Smith, who runs a sandwich van in nearby Brookhouse Industrial Estate, said: "My wife works there six days a week and I do not want her exposed to the rays.

"There are also houses here and children walk past it every day on their way to school."

Former district council leader Ron Locker, who is a town councillor, was among councillors supporting the residents.

He said after the protest: "People were quite naturally incensed and it did get a little heated.

"Police came out twice to check the situation, but they did not need to take action and no-one was arrested."

Town councillor Gary Bentley added: "Feelings were running quite high. Residents felt no notice was being taken of them."

Police were called in by workers from Central Networks, who were attempting to connect the electricity supply.

One worker, who declined to be named, said: " We had to call the police, because we were being obstructed by the public and there was a health and safety risk.

"But people were reasonable and we did not get any abuse."

The contractors left the site after removing connecting cables.

Councillor Stephen Ellis, portfolio holder for planning and development, said council officers had already warned the company against starting work.

He added:"We have been in dialogue with Vodafone for months about this site and I am deeply annoyed and angry with the way they are behaving.

"It is totally unacceptable and if they do not stop and put things back as they were, then they will feel the full force of enforcement action from the district council."

But a Vodafone spokesman said the firm had planning permission and would be going ahead with the construction of the mast.

He said a planning application was submitted in December 2008 and, as the council did not provide a decision notice within a time limit stipulated by planning legislation, planning approval was gained.

He added: "Despite this, we agreed to the council's request to suspend the build and to investigate potential alternative sites."

A potential area was then identified on council owned land on the opposite side of road to the current proposal.

But the spokesman said: "Over the last year we have approached the council on several occasions to identify the exact location of the alternative site, but they have not supplied us with any information and accordingly, we have begun development of the consent that we have."