A RYEDALE woman suffering from a rare medical condition has been told she can put up her Citizen's Band radio aerial... and it's thanks to the Evening Press.

Carol Devenney was initially told she would have to pay to submit a planning application for the aerial, but the cost was too much for her to bear.

Suffering from dizzy spells and prone to falling over because of her condition, petite mal, her CB radio is a vital link with the outside world.

The Evening Press highlighted her plight earlier this month and now housing and planning bosses have relented.

They have said she can now put up the aerial, which will enable her to use her CB.

"I am so pleased, I was absolutely delighted when they phoned me up," said Carol, who lives at Whitwell-on-the-Hill.

"Thanks to the Evening Press I can finally get it up and running. I couldn't understand what the fuss was about because it's going to be very discreet and you wouldn't know it was there unless you were really looking for it."

Mrs Devenney plans to use the radio for social and medical purposes.

"I've been a CB enthusiast for years and I use it to keep in touch with friends, passing truckers and anyone else with a radio," she said.

"My condition means that I get dizzy spells and often fall over. The radio will come in handy if I fall and bang my head and need medical help.

"The condition is getting worse so eventually I'll be forced to give up my motorbike.

"When that happens I won't be able to go to the bingo any more. Instead I'll have to rely on my radio for a social life."

A Ryedale District Council planning services spokesman said: "We looked at Mrs Devenney's application, and once she gave us some more details we decided it was no longer a planning matter and she is now allowed to erect her aerial."

simon.horsborough@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 11:27 Saturday, March 23, 2002