PLANS for three superfast mobile internet masts have been scuppered – and anti-5G campaigners are hailing it “a triumph”.

The 20-metre 5G masts were set to be installed in Brighton near Hove Park, Arundel Street, and the junction of Roedean Road and Marine Drive, Brighton.

But Brighton and Hove City Council has refused planning permission, saying the masts would create “visual clutter” and harm the character of the area.

Campaigners from the group Brighton and Hove 5G Radiation Free have been railing against the masts for months.

They feared they would contribute to a “damaging electromagnetic soup” and that radio wave emissions could harm people’s nervous systems, cause cancer and reduce fertility.

Research by the NHS, Public Health England, and the World Health Organisation shows mobile phone signals are safe. But the campaigners believe the research is out of date and regard the refusal of planning permission as a major victory for the city.

Campaigner Fiona Philips said: “It shows there are ways of stopping this through council planning laws.

“There have been hundreds of complaints, objections and concerns – maybe council officials took notice.

“We’ve been told that telecoms companies do have the right of appeal, and they often exercise it, so we need to keep up the pressure.

“These masts are in everybody’s back yard.

“And it’s not just 5G.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is that this technology is an enabler for a smart future where there will be driverless cars, smart homes and cities, and millions of microchips everywhere from bottle tops to fridges, all connecting up to 5G.

“Even the Prime Minister is worried.

“Earlier this month he warned the UN of a ‘great cloud of data that looms ever more oppressively over the human race’.

“He said it was ‘a giant dark thundercloud waiting to burst.’ That’s what it will be like.”

The campaigners explain their concerns using a chart showing the frequency of electromagnetic waves, from low-frequency radio waves to high-energy gamma rays.

It shows 5G frequency is below visible light but higher than microwaves – which the group considers to be around the threshold for human safety.

This summer, demonstrators voiced concerns about children at nearby private schools, who they said were not protected by regulations that prohibit masts within a certain radius of state schools.

They were also concerned about ecological damage.

One campaigner said: “This is having a terrible effect on wildlife.

“They told us the 5G waves are safe because there’s only a 2mm penetration. But if you’re an ant, that’s it.”