A warning has been issued about the risk of razor blades being hidden behind anti-5G posters stuck to lamp posts and other street furniture.
The latest warning came from East Sussex County Council highways bosses and follows similar warnings from Open Reach, part of British Telecom.
East Sussex Highways said: “It’s been brought to our attention that anti-5G protesters have been putting posters on various street furniture including telephone infrastructure, electricity cabinets and lamp posts.
“Some of these posters have blades placed behind them in a deliberate attempt to injure anyone who attempts to remove them.
“If you see any posters or stickers with anti-5G messages, do not attempt to remove them.
“Please report this to the police instead.”
Campaigners have voiced concerns about 5G – fifth generation mobile phone technology – which they say could cause health problems.
Some have even tried to blame the technology for the spread of the coronavirus.
The government’s health advice is that the technology is safe and, increasingly, 5G masts and equipment are replacing earlier 4G infrastructure.
There have not believed to have been any cases so far of blades hidden behind posters in Brighton and Hove.
But last month Open Reach told its engineers to take care, with hidden blades described as the latest threat to its staff.
The company has reported a rise in the number of attacks on engineers, with more since the start of April than the 42 cases in the whole of last year.
Most of the attacks, it said, were linked to opponents of 5G.
The BBC reported Open Reach corporate affairs director Catherine Colloms saying that there had been an “escalation” of attacks, with engineers wrongly accused of causing cancers and covid-19.
According to the BBC, she said: “A lot of it is verbal. A lot of it is quite unpleasant and really distressing for our engineers who are out there trying to do their job and keep the UK connected.
“We have had some instances of physical abuse, either threatened abuse or people have attacked, for example, an engineer’s van when they are working alongside it.”
And, she said, other engineers had been coughed at by people claiming to have covid-19.
Open Reach said: “We’ve received reports from other telecommunications companies that anti-5G posters have started to appear on street equipment.
“On closer inspection, the posters have had razor blades and needles stuck on the back.
“Fortunately, none of our engineers have encountered these dangerous items but we’ve given them guidance about what to do if they do find any.”
I see, the same old scare mongering again. A whole article on blades and needles behind posters, Council have reports, advise people to be careful, 5G protesters, all the perfectly scripted words to scare people. Then, near the close of the article, it is reported that no blades or needles have been found, but the public should be on their guard. Yes public, be on your guard, for liars, scare mongers and arse kissing so called journalists trying to scare you with a made up story. Hate the protesters, the ones trying to protect you, love the Council and the mobile magnets, the ones not giving a shit about you as they pocket thheir respective pay backs for being good little puppy dogs.