CAMPAIGNERS in Arnison Avenue are celebrating victory after a controversial phone mast put up in February was pulled down last week.

The 45ft mast was removed by O2 on Tuesday just as Barry Evans, founder of the NO2 Mast Group, was preparing to fight the mobile phone giants before a judge the next day.

Barry, 59, a software tester from Arnison Avenue, Totteridge, said: "I am pleased.

"It shows that you need to push them and they will back down. This could all have been sorted over a cup of coffee weeks ago."

The mast was put up despite O2 failing to get planning permission by Wycombe District Council after the company used a legal loophole.

The phone company realised the council had missed the deadline to respond to its application by one day, giving it automatic permission to install the mast. The council has 56 days to respond to applications.

O2 took the pole down last week because, the company said, they decided it was no longer needed.

Jim Stevenson, from O2, said it was a "coincidence" that the court case was the next day and promised the mast would not be making a reappearance.

He said: "We have tweaked a few of our other antennae and we realised we don't need this one any more. It will go back in storage and be used somewhere else in the country."

Now Barry is trying to make sure he does not have to pay costs for the court case, and has threatened to ask the council for compensation if he gets a bill.

He said: "I will write to them because they failed to do their job in the first place. This mast should never have gone up."

Catherine Spalton, from the council, said: "Should Mr Evans choose to submit an official reclamation of costs to the council, we would seek legal advice. However, the council was not party to these proceedings, and as such there is no basis apparent to the council under which such a claim could be sustained."