A MAJOR investigation has been called for after a "serious council malfunction" will allow four controversial mobile phone masts to be built - despite being turned down by Wirral's planning department.

In a closed doors meeting last night, planning councillors were told phone giant T-Mobile had presumed consent had been given after a delay in notifying it of the planning committee's refusal.

There had been massive public opposition to the applications - in Pensby, Gayton, Moreton and Claughton - with more than 600 people signing protest petitions.

Leader of the Tory group, Cllr Jeff Green, called the mistake "outrageous".

He told the Globe: "This is a serious malfunction in the way the planning department carries out its business. The people of Wirral have been treated appallingly and will be horrified. Those senior managers charged with monitoring procedures should be held accountable.

"We need a thorough independent investigation to ensure nothing like this can ever happen again."

A public meeting at Wallasey Town Hall will now be called to allow protestors to hear a full account of what went wrong.

A delay in sending out the paperwork notifying the phone company of the committee's refusal to grant planning permission meant the way was open for the firm to mount a successful legal challenge.

A similar error seven years ago allowed another "refused" phone mast to be erected in Greasby.

Wirral MPs had objected to the proposals and will be notified of the mistake later today.

In a statement, Wirral Council apologises unreservedly for its failure to issue decision notices for the refusal of four recent Antennae Planning Applications within the 56 day statutory period, which has resulted in the applicants having deemed planning consent for each of the applications concerned.

The planning applications affected are as follows:

ANT/2007/5303 - Pavement to front of 272 Hoylake Road, Moreton.

ANT/2007/5308 - Pavement fronting Our Lady and St John RC Church, Telegraph Road, Gayton.

ANT/2007/5349 - Rear of bus stop fronting 401 Pensby Road, Pensby.

ANT/2007/5366 - Pavement adjacent to Hamilton Memorial Church, junction of Upton Road and Shrewsbury Road, Claughton.

As a result T-Mobile can legally proceed with the construction of the masts on these four sites. A council spokewoman said: "Wirral Council is now working with T-Mobile to seek alternative and more acceptable sites for these masts.

"The alternative sites will be subject to the usual due democratic process and will be considered by Planning Committee at a later date.

A recently completed internal investigation has determined that administrative errors by staff either delayed or prevented the dispatch of the decision notices for these four applications. Stringent measures have been put in place to prevent this from ever happening again.

"It is our intention to hold a meeting later this month, to give members of the public affected by these four applications, the opportunity to come and talk to officers about what went wrong and for us to explain to them what we are doing about it.

"The date, time and location of the meeting will be announced shortly and those details will be sent to all members of the public who expressed an interest in these applications."