DARTMOOR National Park Authority has been accused of being in a shambles in its handling of Airwave Solutions application for a 10m telegraph pole Tetra mast overlooking Widecombe-in-the-Moor.

Trevor Blaney, representing the telecommunications giant, claimed at a planning inquiry at Parke, Bovey Tracey, on Wednesday, that Airwave was scrupulous in following the timetable by recorded delivery and e-mail, but he maintained authority lawyer Christopher Walledge had failed to reply to company correspondence.

Airwave is appealing against the authority's refusal of permission and, when it opened in October, the inspector Martin Pike adjourned the inquiry after hearing that 135 pages of evidence from the company was only seen by officers two days before.

It was sent to Parke at 5.07pm on the Friday after staff had left and was not seen until the Monday morning.

This revealed that alternative sites in the village car park and Lower Southway Farm required masts of at least 19m and not 10m as previously thought.

That led to the DNPA withdrawing its opposition, but residents are battling on with their objections at the inquiry, which is expected to conclude today.

On Wednesday, Graham Gover, for the DNPA, said there was no change in the authority's position. It wanted its evidence to remain and its attitude that the mast was harmful to the landscape had not altered.

Mr Blaney countered that it was a mixture of assertions and speculation.

'If a party withdraws it cannot have it both ways. It should retract its evidence and come clean,' he said.

Mr Pike admitted he was perplexed. 'I cannot understand why the authority is supporting its first reason for refusal and then is not contesting the appeal.

'Surely the position must be that the appeal site is acceptable harm, therefore how can you ask me to accept evidence of acceptable harm?' he said.

Airwave wants the Tetra mast for the police and other emergency services because of poor communication reception in the Widecombe area.

Consultant Glen Holt said a Tetra mast was urgently required.

'In the 21st century it is unacceptable that police should not have a state of the art communications service,' he stated.

Mr Holt said he had attended numerous public inquiries and this was the first time that a local authority had suggested alternative sites.

'Both options are unavailable to Airwave and the authority has offered no evidence of how the sites could be made available,' he said.