Gateshead Council has been forced to hit back at a conspiracy theory which claims it is carrying out secret Government trials using its street lights.
The rumours - which are ‘entirely false’ - say the council is testing 5G technology with its street lights causing cancer, miscarriages and insomnia.
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The council has stressed they do not use 5G technology ‘in any of its street lights, or in any other capacity. It has never done so'.
In a post on its Facebook page, the council also emphasised their street lights would not cause any medical problems.
It also denied carrying out ‘secret government trials’.
‘We don’t know how these conspiracy stories start, but we are happy to report that this is exactly what these are. These tales are completely untrue and you should ignore them,’ the post said.
‘Please be assured that there is no scientific basis or credible evidence for any of these scare stories about street lights causing cancer and other illnesses.
‘We’ve taken advice from Public Health England who reviewed guidance issued by the World Health Organisation, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation and others, and they have confirmed that there is no risk.
‘We ask you to share this information with your friends and neighbours as we understand that some residents have been badly frightened by these tales, and the more people who understand that they are completely false, the better.’
This story first appeared on our sister publication localgov.co.uk.
