Arson attack on 5G mast in West Belfast slammed by councillor

A West Belfast councillor has called for an end to attacks on 5Gs masts following an arson attack on Thursday evening.

The emergency services were called to the Andersonstown Road area on Wednesday, November 13, following reports of a 5G mast being on fire.

The mast is located close to Andersonstown Leisure Centre and a number of businesses which were put at risk due to the blaze.

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SDLP West Belfast councillor Paul Doherty has now called for an end to attacks on 5G masts in the area saying that they have a significant impact on the local community.

Councillor Doherty said: “This is the latest in a long line of attacks like this in the wider west Belfast area and people need to realise how serious this situation is. As a result of the latest attack last night a number of businesses and the leisure centre were put at risk by such a large mast catching on fire which then had to be brought under control. The resources of the fire service were taken away from more important matters and I commend them for their response and extinguishing this blaze without any damage to nearby buildings.

“Damage to these masts always has a significant impact on the local community, I am regularly contacted by people and businesses who are struggling to connect to telephone and internet services, and this can continue for months at a time. I know that on-call nurses have experienced issues as a result of poor signal, while the operations of local taxi services have also been affected. I have contacted network providers on a number of occasions in an attempt to find solutions to these issues and restore connectivity as quickly as possible.

“People in this area are utterly fed up with these attacks and the disruption it’s causing to their lives. I would urge whoever is behind this to wise up and look at the damage they are causing to the local community. Whatever is fuelling this, it is achieving nothing and I would ask anyone with any information to come forward to police so we can bring these attacks to an end."

Detective Sergeant Faulkner said: “A report was received at approximately 9.55pm on Wednesday, 13th November that a 5G mast was alight in the Andersonstown Road area.

“Officers attended alongside colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service who were able to extinguish the blaze.

“A partial road closure at the junction of Owenvarragh Park was in place for a time – but has since fully reopened to traffic.

“Thankfully, no injuries were reported. However, some nearby street lights were affected by the fire.

“Extensive damage was caused to the mast and we are treating this report as arson, with enquiries continuing today, Thursday 14th November.

“We are appealing to anyone who was in the area and who may have information, or dash-cam or other footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 1600 13/11/24.

"Alternatively, you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

"You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."

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