LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - The conspiracy theory that 5G mobile telecommunications masts play a role in spreading the novel coronavirus is disgusting fake news and completely false, Britain said on Saturday.

“That is just nonsense, dangerous nonsense as well,” British Cabinet Officer Minister Michael Gove, when asked about the theory by a reporter.

NHS England’s national medical director, Stephen Powis, said the ‘theory’ was complete nonsense.

“The 5G story is complete and utter rubbish, it’s nonsense, it’s the worst kind of fake news,” Powis said. “The reality is that the mobile phone networks are absolutely critical to all of us, particularly at a time when we are asking people to stay at home.”

“Those are also the phone networks that are used by our emergency services and our health workers and I’m absolutely outraged, absolutely disgusted that people would be taking action against the very infrastructure that we need to respond to this health emergency,” Powis said. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton)