Theories linking coronavirus to 5G are baseless,…

British mobile network providers have been forced to debunk conspiracy theories circulating online that 5G masts are linked to coronavirus.   

MobileUK, the trade organisation representing Three, O2, EE and Vodafone, called the theory ‘baseless’ and said it was concerning the pandemic was being used to further such untruths.  

It comes after videos emerged online of a phone mast ablaze in Birmingham after allegedly being set on fire by 5G conspiracy theorists and arsonists.

Shocking footage posted to Facebook captured the moment a 70ft (21m) mast erupted in flames as firefighters tackled the inferno.  

Onlookers claim the fire was started deliberately but it is unclear if the mast was emitting 5G, the ultra-fast mobile internet. 

In a now-deleted Facebook group, conspiracy theorists stated the 5G being emitted was sparking coronavirus, an outlandish and impossible claim.  

Emergency services were called to Spring Road in the Sparkhill area of the Midlands city at 8.18pm on Thursday night.

Firefighters battled to douse the flames for two hours while police closed the road to protect traffic. 

Police say they are not yet sure what started to fire although onlookers say it was deliberately set ablaze following concerns over health risks the network could bring. 

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: ‘We’re aware of a fire involving a phone mast, but are awaiting further details on its cause.’

Several videos claiming to show 5G towers on fire, including one in Coventry, were posted to a page on Facebook, which encouraged others to do the same.

The page was created on Thursday and taken down by Facebook on Friday morning. 

Mobile UK said: ‘[It is] concerning that certain groups are using the Covid-19 pandemic to spread false rumours and theories about the safety of 5G technologies.

‘More worryingly some people are also abusing our key workers and making threats to damage infrastructure under the pretence of claims about 5G. 

‘This is not acceptable and only impacts on our ability as an industry to maintain the resilience and operational capacity of the networks to support mass home working and critical connectivity to the emergency services, vulnerable consumers and hospitals.

‘The theories that are being spread about 5G on social media are baseless and are not grounded in accepted scientific theory.

‘Research into the safety of radio signals including 5G, which has been conducted for more than 50 years, has led to the establishment of human exposure standards including safety factors that protect against all established health risks.’

Facebook said the banned page was deleted for breaching its policies because it has the potential to cause real world harm.

However, one user claimed they reported the page early on to moderators for promoting violence, only to receive a response saying it was not deemed to be in violation of Facebook’s community standards.

Elsewhere, O2 is issuing engineers working outside on essential network projects with a sign to explain they are a key worker, after reports of telecoms staff being verbally abused by members of the public.

‘Engineers are out doing key work to keep everyone connected, making repairs and keeping the network running, so they’ll show a sign to explain that,’ a spokesman said.

Fact-checking site FullFact, the UK’s leading and independent fact-checking charity, said this week: ‘There is no evidence that 5G WiFi networks are linked to the new coronavirus.’