A two-day public inquiry into Pembrokeshire County Council's non-determination of an application to install a Tetra mast near a holiday home for disabled children in Penally will now run into a third day.

The inquiry, which commenced on Wednesday at Tenby's De Valence Pavilion, has seen the Harriet Davis Seaside Holiday Trust go up against telecommunications company Arquiva, in a bid to stop them siting a police communications mast yards from the home which is situated on the village's Ridgeway.

The inquiry comes after the Trust's appeal against the county council, following the non- determination of the application by their planning and rights of way committee at a meeting last year, with members later stating that they would have given the proposal the go-ahead.

The inquiry is being chaired by Welsh Assembly appointed town and country planning inspector, Gwynedd Thomas, who has been hearing evidence from all three parties involved.

On the first day of the inquiry, Arquiva's appointed witnesses argued that installation of the mast at the proposed site was essential for the police authorities in the area to obtain 100 per cent handheld radio coverage, also claiming that the Airwave base station proposed no health risks to the general public, as it was fully compliant with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines for public exposure.

"The Government has made it clear in written answers to Parliamentary questions that they do not consider there to be any health hazards associated with the Tetra system," explained telecommunications expert, Glenn Holt, when giving evidence in support of Arquiva on the first day of the appeal.

"The emissions from the Airwave base station at the appeal site fall well below the ICNIRP guidelines and calculations that I have carried out indicate that in areas where the public have access, the exposure levels will be thousands of times below the recommendations," he continued.

However, specialist children's and human rights lawyer, Mike Charles, who is representing the Trust at the case, questioned the fact that none of Mr. Holt's reports contained any reference that specific research had been carried out on the effects of the Tetra masts in relation to disabled children.

During the inquiry's second day, several parents of disabled children who regularly holiday at The Wheelabout hospice were able to voice their concerns over the possible health risks associated with the proposed Tetra mast.

"Since 1994 we've been coming to The Wheelabout with our son Ben who suffers with severe spastic quadriplegia and also epilepsy," said Gwen Gunnell, who along with her husband George travel down from Worcestershire.

"The home has fantastic facilities for Ben and this means that we get a proper holiday, but if this mast gets the go-ahead we will seriously have to consider not coming to the home as we do not fully know the risks involved with such masts when it comes to the health of disabled children," continued Mrs. Gunnell.

Mr. Christopher Pitson, who travels down from Swansea with his wife and disabled daughter, who suffers with severe cerebral palsy, along with their other four children, to holiday at The Wheelabout, was also left with doubts as to whether they would continue to use the home if the Tetra mast was installed.

"The possibility of the Tetra mast has alarmed us. As a parent, it leaves me with a decision of whether to take a risk, not fully knowing the effects it could have on our child's health," he remarked.

"The home's facilities and pool provide my daughter with the freedom and flexibility that she only gets one week a year whilst holidaying here; it worries me that I may have to deny her that, if this mast goes ahead. Not only that, but it is also difficult to find holiday accommodation in the area that caters for a family with a disabled child," added Mr. Pitson.

The Harriet Davis Trust, which was founded by John and Kit Davis, who have also been speaking at the inquiry, faces a legal bill of £12,000, with fund- raising already underway in the community to help pay the fighting fund, starting with a coffee morning in Penally Village Hall last Saturday, which raised £350.

A third day for the inquiry may not take place until the end of March, it was revealed yesterday (Thursday).