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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Shauna Corr

Belfast 5G phone mast burned in 'targeted West Belfast campaign' says councillor

Police are investigating after another phone mast was set on fire in West Belfast.

The incident took place on the Stewartstown Road in the early hours of Thursday, July 6 and is being treated as arson.

Local councillor Paul Doherty says there is real anger in the community about what appears to be a "targeted campaign" against phone masts and has urged whoever is behind it - to stop.

Read more: Phone masts and electric box set alight in Belfast arson spree

He told Belfast Live: "It's been an ongoing issue and it's caused damage to a number of areas here in West Belfast. It's really unsafe and it's putting people at risk.

"It's happening in a built up area. In Owenvarragh on the Andersonstown Road we have a unit that has been set alight there a number of times. How many children are in the area?"

The SDLP politician says he thinks the phone masts hit were 5G and that the attacks are "obviously linked".

He added: "There's obviously a campaign here to damage as much as they can but I think they need to recognise this is putting a lot of people at risk and putting themselves at risk as well.

"A lot of people are very angry as a result of seeing this happening. It's also limiting people's access to service as well if there is damage to these masts."

He says local reps are working with police to try and stop the arson attacks: "I'm asking people if they do any suspicious activity around these masts and units to report it to police as soon as possible.

"Whatever the motivation behind these incidents, our police and fire service have much more important things to be dedicating their resources to than this."

Detective Sergeant Kennedy said: “At around 2:50am, it was reported that a phone mast was on fire in the area. Colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended and dealt with the fire.

“Enquiries are continuing and at this stage, the fire is being treated as deliberate. We are appealing to anyone who was in the area and who may have information, or dash-cam or other footage, to contact police on 101, quoting reference 126 06/07/23.

“Alternatively, you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."

A total of phone masts and electrical boxes were set alight in a number of other incidents in the west of the city last month.

Police said at the time they were investigating a potential link between five suspected arson attacks over one weekend in June. They took place on Donegall Road, Owenvarragh Park, Springfield Road, Monagh Bypass, Stewartstown Road.

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