A report into the possible effects of living near mobile phone masts in the Isle of Man concludes that 'generally' there is no risk to health.

The potential hazard of masts was raised in Tynwald in 2007 by John Houghton, MHK, on behalf of concerned Onchan residents.

They were worried about the siting of a mast on top of the GP surgery in the Village.

At the time Mr Houghton raised the issue, a group headed by the director of public health was already looking at the safety implications of living near masts.

Its findings were considered by a Council of Ministers working group, and it's the CoMin group's report which will be laid before Tynwald this month.

It concludes there's no scientific evidence linking 'vague symptoms' with exposure to electromagnetic fields and suggests some of those could be related to anxiety about new technologies.

It also suggests that being directly under a mast leads to less exposure than using a mobile handset, which is held closer to the head.

However, the report does recommend that the level of emissions from masts should be regularly checked, and material about possible health impacts should be produced for anyone who has concerns.

It also calls for the director of public health to be notified about any planning applications for the erection of masts around the Island.