The mobile phone company had submitted a proposal to build a monopole at the side of the road leading south to the Galalaw roundabout – along with a 3G antennae, transmission dishes, equipment cabins and fencing.

Last week's Teviot and Liddesdale Area Committee meeting heard that the planned site is on sloping scrub and grazing land, and that it was proposed that the mast would be green in colour and have the Third Generation antennae – for a wider range of services – on its top, along with two green dishes.

The compound containing the mast would be surrounded by green chainlink fencing, topped with barbed wire at a height of two metres. And the two cabins in the compound would be for equipment and an electric meter.

However, councillors heard that planning officials could not support the application on the grounds it would have a detrimental impact due to its prominent roadside position.

Explaining that the street lamps at Galalaw stand at 10 metres high, Scottish Borders Council's principal planning officer Craig Miller told the meeting: "Vodafone asked our opinion on this before they submitted an application and we told them we had concerns. Their mast would effectively be twice as high as the street lamps at Galalaw."

All six Hawick councillors rejected the application.