Residents surrounded by phone masts are stepping up their campaign against having two more installed.

Vodafone is planning to add two 10m 3G masts in Dyke Road Avenue, Brighton, to six already in place all within the vicinity of a nursery.

Two petitions have amassed about 80 signatures from residents concerned about the health implications.

They also say the masts would be out of character with the area.

Valou Westergaard, 34, is renovating the building next to the proposed site of the Dyke Road Place mast and has organised one of the petitions.

The mother of three said: "We're anxious about health and safety. They say there's no danger because they're following international guidelines but 70 years ago they were distributing cigarettes to soldiers thinking they weren't dangerous and we now know they are."

Representatives from Vodafone met with residents last week in an attempt to allay fears over the Dyke Road Place mast before submitting plans to Brighton and Hove City Council.

Mrs Westergaard said she was not convinced afterwards and was left with many unanswered questions, including how the company proposed to "camouflage" the masts when there were no trees in the area. The six masts in Dyke Road Avenue include a BT pole put up after the council failed to make its objections within the 56-day deadline.

Legislation allows mobile phone companies to assume masts below 15m have been approved if they do not hear from the local authority within eight weeks.

Vodafone has already submitted a formal application to put the mast up on the corner with Woodland Drive and the council has until May 18 to respond. Stanford ward councillor Vanessa Brown submitted the petitions at the last full council meeting and will present them again at the next policy and resources committee meeting.

She said: "There are so many masts on the stretch of Dyke Road already and they want to put up two more for 3G coverage, which cover a wider area so obviously residents are concerned about it.

"There have been reports saying there's no problem with them but until we know the long-term affects of them we just don't know."

Sir William Stewart, head of the National Radiological Protection Board and the Government's chief adviser on mobile phone safety has advised against masts being situated near schools as a precaution.

A spokesman for Vodafone said the company had looked into sharing or upgrading the existing masts along the road but found there was "no technical viability" to do so.