A FAMILY of a seven-year-old girl fears living near electricity pylons may have contributed to her brain tumour.

Nellie Penn developed the tumour only a few years after a National Grid base was set up at the end of the road where she lived in Horn Lane, Woodford Green.

Her mother and grandmother claim there were other children living in the same road at the time of the same age who have contracted leukaemia and other cancers.

Nellie, who attends St Antony's Primary School, has a benign tumour but she has already undergone five operations and chemotherapy. She has had to travel up to 60 miles in a day to receive treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

The family spoke out after reading about the plight of residents living next to 16 mobile phone masts in Carnarvon Road in South Woodford.

Five people living in the road have developed cancer and fear radiation from the masts may have caused the illnesses.

Nellie's mother Donna, who has two other daughters, four-year-old Rosie and Lizzie, two, who are perfectly healthy, said she feared the same thing might have happened here.

Mrs Penn, now living in Kings Avenue, said: At the time we weren't given any information but a neighbour had radiation levels checked after the grid went up and they were found to be very high.

Much later on we were told not to let our children sleep at the front of the house, which faced the grid. Reading the story in the Guardian made us wonder whether this was the same kind of situation.

When the base was put up in the mid-1990s, residents opposed the plans and signed petitions, but the proposal went ahead.

Nellie's grandmother Eileen Gray said: We're concerned that this may have something to do with Nellie's brain tumour, but the thing is we really don't know. We think there must be more information about these things given to people who will be living on the doorstep.

Nellie has already gone through a hell of a lot and if more information is available perhaps we can stop it happening to other children.

A National Grid spokesman said: Much research has been done and is continuing around the world all the time. Links between ill health, National Grid towers and networks have never been proven on the evidence that has been produced.

But if people have concerns, we're always happy to speak with them and allay any fears.