Residents who spent two years battling to stop mobile phone companies erecting masts near their homes now face another fight.

Vodafone has applied to Brighton and Hove City Council to replace one of its mobile phone masts, which is housed within a Grade II* listed building, with more powerful equipment.

Residents living near the British Engineerium off Nevill Road in Hove have spent the past two years fighting a variety of applications for masts in the historic building's chimney.

They successfully won a battle with One2One to have one mast removed from the chimney in 2000 but the Vodafone mast on the same site was allowed to remain.

Martine Cowley, of Treadcroft Road, Hove, who led the campaign, launched a petition against the One2One mast and more that 700 people signed it.

Since that success, residents have remained vigilant and fought off a number of applications for further mobile phone installations in the structure.

In March this year, Vodafone lost two planning appeals against refusals for permission for antennae and other equipment on the site.

However, just when neighbours thought their battling days were over, they discovered Vodafone had made an application to the city council for a triband antenna to replace the dual-band mast housed in the chimney.

The application is due to be discussed at the city council's planning committee meeting at Hove Town Hall this afternoon.

Campaigners against the masts on the Engineerium in Hove spent the weekend collecting more than 100 signatures on another petition demanding the council refuse the application for the equipment change.

Ms Cowley said Hove Park Residents' Association was opposed to the mast.

She said: "This is the second time Vodafone has made the application. The first time it was turned down on appeal only a few months ago.

"This one has been minded for recommendation. In the past we had 700 people sign a petition and we thought that it was all over.

"Now Vodafone has applied to install a tri-band antenna, which is more powerful."

She said the application appeared to have appeared hot on the heels of the previously rejected applications and had given residents little time to mount a fight.

A spokesman for the city council confirmed the application would be discussed today and the recommendation was to grant permission, but said it was the responsibility of the members to make the final decision.