Sir – Nicholas Purcell is right to draw attention (Letters, January 27) to the obscene plan to erect a phone mast in St Giles.

I find it impossible to understand how this preposterous application has got this far. Oxford is already cluttered with pointless signage and street furniture and the idea of erecting a pole nearly 40 feet high right in the centre of our most important street is insane. It will be repellent to tourists and it will destroy value for local businesses that rely on a prestigious location to win customers.

Furthermore, to allow this mast to be installed just a few metres from a memorial dedicated to men and women who have given their lives for their country would be an act of contempt that will disgust most people.

I’ve no doubt that the mobile phone operator will get its mast, but surely not before the city council is swamped with protests about this squalid proposal.

Richard Burton, Oxford