Liverpool 5G phone mast damaged in arson attack

A 5G mast has been damaged in an arson attack only days after it was put up.

Firefighters were called to the blaze in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

People nearby reported hearing a "loud bang" and seeing flames and smoke coming from the base of the phone mast. Merseyside Fire Service said the fire was started deliberately.

A man in dark clothing was seen at the mast shortly before the fire and left on an electric bicycle, police said.

Attacks on 5G phone masts have been fuelled by a conspiracy theory wrongly linking 5G and coronavirus.

Det Sgt Richie Shillito, of Merseyside Police, said: "These are challenging times for everyone, and members of the public are more dependent than ever on technology such as mobile phones to keep in touch with their friends and family.

"For many vulnerable people isolating and shielding, it is their only means of contact with the outside world.

"People may also need to use their phone to contact the emergency services, and extremely reckless acts like this could leave them with no signal and put someone's life at risk."

Earlier this month, a 47-year-old man was told he faced a jail term after he pleaded guilty to an arson attack on a mast in Kirkby.