Massive poles are popping up across Greater Manchester and it's causing anger

Complaints about broadband firm IX Wireless building masts and poles have left councillors ‘overwhelmed and powerless’ in the face of growing public anger, a meeting has heard.

All political parties at Bolton Council have said they ‘deplore’ the actions of the company who have over past months installed hundreds of mast and poles in Bolton, Bury and other parts of Greater Manchester, often with the minimum amount of notice allowed.

The firm are authorised to install masts without prior consultation as long as they are a maximum height of 15m due to a planning law known as ‘permitted development’.

Earlier this month hundreds attended a ‘residents against IX Wireless’ protest after the telecoms company installed a metal mast described as ‘looking like a rocket launcher’ on Lea Gate Close, Harwood, Bolton.

This week, residents in Rollesby Close, Brandlesholme, Bury held a sit in protest against IX Wireless, occupying the land the company were set to work on. The company claim their work is to ‘build and maintain a new high-speed broadband network’.

They added that the placement of the poles is ‘100 per cent compliant’, and that ‘local councils are always aware of any work being undertaken’. At a meeting of Bolton Council last week councillors backed a motion introduced by Liberal Democrat leader Roger Hayes about the firm.

The motion said: “IX Wireless has sought to reduce its costs and increase its profits by erecting hundreds of telegraph poles to carry over ground fibre, and many large masts, claiming that they constitute ‘permitted development’.

“These poles and masts are an undesirable addition to street clutter and in many cases cause considerable inconvenience to nearby householders and pedestrians who are